


Magic

by KibaSin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Cute, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Friendship, Friendship/Love, Heartache, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Implied Underage, Light-Hearted, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2017-11-13 21:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 82
Words: 52,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Higurashi Kagome really was fit for any house at Hogwarts. [A collection of drabbles; Multiple pairing]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Veela

**By:**  Kiba/KibaSin

 **Summary:**  Higurashi Kagome really was fit for any house at Hogwarts. [A collection of drabbles; Multiple pairing]

 **Disclaimer:**  I do not hold ownership to either of the works contributing to the construction of this fan fiction.  _Harry Potter_  is copyrighted by J. K. Rowling, while  _Inuyasha_  is copyrighted by Takahashi Rumiko.

 **Genre:**  Romance/Humor/Angst/Drama/General

 **Rating:**  M

* * *

**Veela**

**Hufflepuff**

“Blimey, you’d think that they’ve all gone bonkers.”

“Oh, Ronald, have you already forgotten that just  _yesterday_  you were also one of those that had gone  _bonkers_?” Hermione asked, rolling her eyes lightly.

“She does have a point, mate,” Harry Potter said.

“ _Really_ ,” Hermione snapped her book shut, “I don’t see what the big deal with her is. Even the Slytherin boys have been seen following her around like lost puppy dogs, and, to be  _quite_  honest, I’m not entirely certain how she was even placed into  _Hufflepuff_  of all places! With the way she’s playing with them, you’d think that she’d be a shoe-in for Slytherin herself.”

“Well,” Harry frowned, “it’s not  _really_  her fault that she’s part veela.”

“Well, no, of course  _not_ ,” Hermione sighed. “However, it is  _entirely_  her fault that she’s prancing around and using her veela blood as a way to entrance every single boy in Hogwarts!”

As if on cue, the Golden Trio watched as the girl in question, Higurashi Kagome, turned on her heel and glared heatedly at the group of boys following her every step. She gave a huff, ignoring as another boy tried to ask her if he could carry her bag for her, before she waved her hand in dismissal.

The boys all sighed, almost forgetting to follow the half-veela girl as she made a run for it. Her yellow and black tinted robes swirled around her as she rounded a corner, disappearing from sight, and the group began calling out for her immediately in their chase.

“Now, did you  _see_  that?” Hermione wrinkled her nose, as she continued, “She’s just playing  _coy_. It’s well known that half-veela are capable of attracting the opposite sex at  _will_ , and, thus, are capable of  _not_  doing so at every opportunity. She obviously wants the attention, and,  _thus_ , I just can’t figure out why the Sorting Hat would put her in Hufflepuff!”

“If I didn’t know any better, Harry, I’d say  _someone_  was jealous,” Ron whispered, leaning into Harry’s side so Hermione would not hear him.

Harry nodded back when Hermione looked away. It was, after all, a little obvious that she had not taken kindly to when Ron Weasley had somehow gotten caught within the half-veela’s allure. And had promptly began to deduce how exactly Higurashi Kagome had not been put into Slytherin.

However, the Sorting Hat was  _always_  right. Wasn’t it?


	2. Revoke

**Slytherin**

A scowl worked its way onto her lips quickly, as she cast a glare toward the boy smirking at her. “Oh, you think you’re funny, do you, Sirius Black? Asking to be put in  _Gryffindor_? How  _ashamed_  your mother must feel.”

“Come on now, there’s now reason to be so  _serious_.”

Her hand twitched against her book, as she wanted nothing more than to wipe that suave smirk off his face with a spell or two. “Why are you even talking to me, anyway?” she asked. “You know damn well that my mother immediately canceled our engagement the moment she heard word you were placed in  _that_  house!”

“ _Tsk_.” He chuckled lightly, watching the fire burn behind her blue eyes. “You and I both know that while  _your_  family is well known for the Dark Arts,  _you_  don’t exactly hold the same values that  _they_  do, Kagome.”

Her eyes flickered suddenly, flashing with fear. Her grip tightened around her book, knowing he would continue, but she just wished that he would— “ _Shut up_.”

“ _You_ , yourself, are only a Slytherin because you  _asked_  to be, didn’t you?”

“ _I don’t know what you’re talking about_ ,” she hissed. Her voice was low enough that she was certain no one, should anyone happen to turn a corner, would hear what she had said.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter, anyway,” Sirius said, as he leaned into the wall nearby. She was glaring immediately after, a sneer finding its way onto her face, and he smiled back in amusement. She always looked rather  _hot_  like that. “I’m sure I’ll have you falling all over my feet again by the end of term.”

“ _Oh!_ ” Higurashi Kagome felt her face flush. “I have  _never_!”

“That’s not what you were saying over the summer,” he fired back.

“ _You—_!” Her hand itched to grab her wand, but she restrained herself. There was, after all, a rule against using magic in the corridors. “ _Oh_ , never mind!”

Sirius Black’s laughter followed her as she stomped away, her green tinted robes twirling furiously around her.


	3. Loyalty

**Gryffindor**

“Don’t you talk to her like that, Draco Malfoy!”

The Slytherin Prince’s gray eyes bore into her instantly, and after taking a moment to assess  _who_  exactly she was, he began to openly sneer at her. “And what are  _you_  going to do about it, you  _blood traitor_?”

Her brow twitched, as she pulled her wand from her robes. She noticed the immediately change in the Slytherin student, and she was certain that without his  _lackeys_  he would be an easy enough opponent. “Don’t you talk to  _me_  that way, either!”

The thirteen and a half quarter inch wand pointed directly into his face, Draco Malfoy suddenly began to regret what he had said. This,  _after all_ , was Higurashi Kagome. His friend once upon a time, until they had stepped into Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat had mistakenly placed her into the Gryffindor house. “Go ahead,” he nearly choked, feeling her press her wand closer to his throat. “ _Do it._ ”

“Oh, don’t  _tempt_  me,” she smiled. “We both know that you’re just acting like a  _big boy_.”

“ _Shut up_ ,” he bit out.

Her wand retreated, as she said, “What are you waiting for? Run for it. We both know you want to!”

Hermione Granger blinked, watching as the Slytherin boy turned tail and scrambled away from them both. He began shouting over his shoulder, in his usual cowardly way, about how he would pay back both of them. The “blood traitor,” and the “mudblood.”

Kagome smiled brightly, as she placed a hand onto the other Gryffindor’s shoulder. “You’re all right, aren’t you, Hermione?” she asked. “Because,  _next time_ , I might just  _beat_  those nasty words out of that prat.”

Hermione smiled back, as she said, “Yes, thank you.”

It seemed that Higurashi Kagome, despite her lineage, really was  _not_  a snake in lion’s skin. Her loyalty to her house proved that much.


	4. Distraction

**Ravenclaw**

Oh, dear  _god_.

Her mother had sent her a Howler.

She cringed, watching as her fellow Ravenclaw inched away from her should she choose to do the unwise and leave it unopened until it exploded. Of course, she was  _not_  going to do something as ridiculous as that, but she understood why they wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

She did not even want to be  _herself_  at that very moment.

Breathing deeply, she prepared herself for the worse, before she finally popped the seal on the Howler heating up her hand.

“ _HIGURASHI KAGOME—_!” Her mother’s voice was increasingly high pitched, and she flushed in color at the snickers she heard from the Slytherin table nearby. This was really humiliating, to say the least. “— _THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE, YOUNG LADY._ ”

Of course  _it_  was.

“ _AN E: EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS!_ ”

Yes, mother, she had  _not_  received the usual O that was expected.

“ _I KNOW WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, KAGOME! YOU’RE FLUSTERED OVER SOME BOY, AREN’T YOU?_ ”

Oh,  _no_ , of course not, mother. She, like any good Ravenclaw, was  _not_  crushing on the new potions assistant, Severus Snape, who had been standing in while the actual professor was sick. That was  _absurd_.

“ _DON’T GIVE ME THAT TONE, LADY! I KNOW THAT THIS IS ABOUT SOME BOY, AND I’M GOING TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT YOU BETTER GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BEFORE I PULL YOU FROM HOGWARTS AND SEND YOU TO—!_ ”

Especially since he had been a  _former_  Slytherin. Had the potential of being a Death Eater. Was,  _most likely_ , following in the footsteps of all his other Slytherin cohorts and bowing at the feet of the Dark Lord.

And,  _yet_ , still had the ability to make her blush like a schoolgirl whenever he leaned over her potion to check for any imperfections.

Finally, tossing the Howler onto the Ravenclaw table, Higurashi Kagome stood proudly and began to march her way out of the Great Hall. It was, after all, just a stupid letter, and there was  _no possible_  way that her mother could know that she was seriously  _flustered_ , as she liked to put it, because of a snake.

As if on cue, the Howler paused for a moment, and then began shouting once more. “ _HIGURASHI KAGOME, YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT, YOUNG LADY! DON’T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A SERIOUS TALK ABOUT THIS ONCE CHRISTMAS VACATION ARRIVES, DO YOU HEAR ME?!_ ”

Yes, of course, and the  _rest_  of the school as well, mother.


	5. Howling

**Hufflepuff**

The tunnel was dark and dank, but Remus Lupin knew that the exit was just up ahead. It was just a few more agonizing steps, as he tried to fight off the transformation that wanted to take place even without the moon’s soft glow caressing his body.

His robes were quickly discarded along the way, as he had had the misfortune of having to buy several new sets of robes in the past. The nudity was necessary, despite his discomfort, if he did not want to have to sneak through the castle back to the Gryffindor tower, where,  _hopefully_ , there would not be someone sitting in the common room waiting to ambush him in such a state.

Not like that  _one_  time with Lily Evans.

Remus shuddered, as he finally reached his destination. His body was itching, and he knew it would be soon even without the moon’s glow. It always happened, no matter how hard he tried to hide from the one thing he feared the most, and at least inside the Shrieking Shack he would not do any harm to anyone.

But—

Remus froze, as a lone howl filled the space around him. His pupils dilated with the sound, his skin itching a little more, and he longed to answer the call that wanted someone,  _anyone_  to answer.

His eyes darted around, unsure whether or not the other wolf was in the tunnel with him. His breathing thickened, as the only other werewolf he had ever encountered was Fenrir Greyback. Had he known? Had he come to try and recruit him during the full moon? Had he—?

His eyes caught sight of something in a corner, and ignoring the popping of his joints, he felt his breath still when he finally recognized the material in the darkness. It was a Hufflepuff uniform. It was a—

There was  _another_  werewolf attending Hogwarts this year.

He had the uniform in his hand almost instantly, and breathed the scent lingering there deep into his nose. He felt a laugh escape him, but only for a moment before the pain began to increase.

The lone howl resonated down the tunnel again, and he knew this time that it was coming from the Shrieking Shack.

He stumbled down the tunnel, finding his way to the Shrieking Shack himself, as the transformation began. And, yet, some part of him glorified in the fact that there was another. He was not alone.

Higurashi Kagome, a Hufflepuff first year, was a werewolf, too.


	6. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gryffindor

**One**

“You  _refuse_?”

That tight smile on his face was really pissing her off, and if she had her wand, she would have blasted him a good one. Unfortunately, her wand had had an unexpected flight thanks to Bellatrix Lestrange during the battle this morning in a local muggle park. The bitch had taken it like a trophy, no doubt, after knocking her unconscious.

And all that bloodshed, all those innocent lives lost were sacrificed because Lord Voldemort wanted to kidnap  _her_.

“Oh, come on now, girlie,” Bellatrix laughed, making her presence known. “We were  _friends_  during school, weren’t we? You were always a good little Slytherin at heart! So, why don’t you act like one and come to the  _winning_  side!”

“ _Hmph_ ,” she snorted. “Sadly, as you’ve  _always_  said, Lestrange, I’ll always be as stubborn as  _any_  Gryffindor should be.”

The Dark Lord stared down at her, meeting her defiant gaze. “You could be  _great_ , you know,” he told her. “Known throughout all of history as the greatest witch to have ever walked the face of this earth.”

“Yes, as  _wonderful_  as that all sounds,” she hissed, “I  _refuse_  to be your breeding bitch, Tom Riddle!”

A hand struck her across the face, snapping her head to the side. His face contorted, masking his once handsome features further, as he glared down at the small woman. “Don’t you  _ever_  speak that name,” he growled.

“What is that I found, huh,  _Tom_?” she asked. “A  _soft_  spot?”

“There are  _other_  ways to get what I want,” he told her, choosing to ignore her mocking voice. “Whether you are willing or  _not_.” And then, turning on his heel, he glanced in the direction of the other woman present. “Bellatrix.”

A twisted smile spread across Bellatrix Lestrange’s face, as she said, “Oh,  _yes_ , of course, Master.”

The next instant, Higurashi Kagome was pleasantly introduced to what the Cruciatus Curse felt like. She snapped her eyes shut, refusing to allow tears to fall in the pain, and allowed herself the pleasure of screaming.

* * *

**Two**

“Defiant. Stubborn. Beautiful.” He glowered down at her, taking in her pale features and the way she was panting. “A  _very_  strong will to live. All that I ever wanted in a woman that would birth my future child, and yet,  _still_ , you refuse me? You refuse me, the Dark Lord?”

“I will—” she paused, her voice hoarse, “— _always_  refuse—”

“ _Crucio._ ”

Her screaming began anew, though it was not nearly as loud as it usually was. When the pain receded, she lay, panting, upon the floor, as a new sweat broke through her skin.

“I tire of this game, Higurashi Kagome,” Lord Voldemort confessed. “If you do not bend soon, do not think that I will not hesitate to resort to the Imperius Curse as well. What will you do then? When you are fat and heavy with my child, and unable to deny your fate?”

“I would—” she swallowed, attempting to gain some type of moisture in her mouth, “—rather  _die_.”

Anger swelling inside of him from the word, Lord Voldemort turned his reddening eyes upon her weak form. His wand lifted immediately, and he allowed himself the pleasure of releasing his rage upon the woman. If she wished to prove herself  _weak_ , then she could find her path in the afterlife. “ _Avada Kedavra!_ ”

The green light hit her in the face, and her body slumped.

“Oh,  _unfortunate_ ,” he muttered to her corpse, “that you would bring my displeasure upon yourse—”

Higurashi Kagome sat up in a gasp, coughing.

“ _What?_ ” His eyes were wide, and he nearly lost his grip on his wand when she lifted her blue eyes up to glare at him once more. “How are you  _not_ —?”

The question lingered, unanswered between the two of them.

* * *

**Three**

“How long will you continue this?”

She glared openly at him, growling. How  _dare_  he stand there and ask her such a thing. How dare  _he_ , of all people, ask  _her_  when she would finally cripple beneath the Dark Lord. “ _Severus_ ,” she hissed.

Severus Snape frowned deeply, knowing that the witch was watching him like an injured animal out to kill anything that dared stray too close. He could not say he blamed her, considering it had not been but a few weeks ago that he had convinced her that he was  _not_  beneath the thumb of Lord Voldemort.

And, yet, there he stood.

How  _unfortunate_  that she did not know the truth behind his  _betrayal_.

“He is planning to use the Imperius Curse upon you soon, Higurashi,” he told her. “The Dark Lord grows impatient with your defiance, and,  _sadly_ , he is very used to getting what he desires. It is best that you accept your fate and—”

“You  _sick_ bastard,” she snapped. “How dare you suggest that I should lay on my back and allow that man to— _to_ —!”

“I have saved you many times from the Cruciatus Curse, Higurashi,” he frowned. “If it were not for your potion laced goblets, you would most likely be dead from the torture. Is that what you desire? Death?”

Her lips thinned, and she leaned her head back against the stone surrounding her. Then, a dry chuckle escaped her, as she muttered, “I’ll have to stop drinking those then.”

“So, you really do want to  _die_.”

“I would rather die,” she told him, “then allow that  _monster_  the chance to torture a small child into becoming just like him! Do not give me that look, Severus. What would you  _do_  if it were your child? What would you do if it were  _Lily’s_?”

He turned so quickly on his heel, slamming the door in his wake, that she was surprised he had not tripped over his own foot.

* * *

**Four**

“ _Bitch_.” He grabbed a fist full of her black hair, pulling her upward once more. The salvia trailed down his face, marking him in the slightest way, and he growled in her face. “How  _dare_  you defy your Lord?”

“ _I won’t_.” Her voice was weak, barely noticeable, but the defiance remained. It always remained. “ _I won’t._ ”

Her head slammed against the wall, and he delighted in the sound. Her eyes closed briefly, in pain, but still, she remained defiant. Her blue eyes refused to budge, and there was no mistake that she would continue to do so. “I should  _kill_  you again just to watch you gasp for air afterward,” he told her.

“ _Do it_ ,” she challenged him.

His face twisted, almost handsome once more, as he smiled. “ _No_ ,” he said. “I believe I have a much better plan for you, as it is clear that there will be only one way for me to get what I want out of you.”

Her eyes widened, as his wand pressed against her throat.

“ _Imperio_.”

And then, the defiance was gone.

Her eyes were dulled, unseeing, as she became trapped within her own weakened mind.

Lord Voldemort chuckled, as he took in her appearance. He released his hold upon her ebony locks, and began to caress them, delighting in the way she seemed to lean somewhat into his hand. “Oh,  _yes_ , that’s much better,” he laughed at her. “So much better.”

His lips burned hers in longing and desire, as he moved his mouth so that she was forced to open her own in response. Her body did as he wished, and he quickly shoved his tongue down her throat.

Though trapped beneath the Imperius Curse, her mind was screaming.

* * *

**Five**

The door blasted open, blinding her, and she blinked at the sight of Alastor Mad-Eye Moody as he strolled into her own torture chamber. His eye surveyed the area, avoiding her somewhat, and she laughed dryly under her breath at his attempt to allow her to keep her modesty.

How could she keep any of her dignity knowing that she—!

Another Auror followed close behind him, and the other woman was quick to come to her aid. “Oh my,” she gasped. “You poor dear!  _Oh god_ , let me patch up some of these—!”

Higurashi Kagome merely shook her head, feeling the woman briefly probe at her left forearm for any sign of the Dark Mark. And, when finding none, quickly returned to her previous task of  _“_ patching her up.”

Oh, if only she knew she  _carried_  another mark from Tom Riddle.

“Alastor,” she sighed softly, knowing that her voice was nearly lost to her forever.

Mad-Eye nodded in her direction, saying, “Higurashi.”

“What—” she swallowed, giving herself a moment, “—happened?”

“If you’re asking how we managed to break in and rescue you,” the Auror replied, “that’s simple. It’s been confirmed. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. How? He had just been there a few hours previous, and while he had appeared slightly frightened in some way, he had, more or less, merely been concerned with her budding pregnancy. “ _How?_ ”

“Oh, you  _poor_  girl,” the woman sighed. “You’ve been through  _so_  much, haven’t you?”

“Don’t know yet, won’t for a while,” Mad-Eye said.

The knowledge cementing itself in her mind, she allowed her hand to rest on her expanding stomach. And then, knowing that it was  _true_ , that the Dark Lord was vanquished, she finally allowed herself to cry for the first time in months.

It appeared that her child would have a bright future, after all.

And for that, she was grateful to  _whoever_  had dealt the killing blow.


	7. Target

**Ravenclaw**

“Oh, you—!”

“Oh, look there, James, she’s got a  _temper_  on her!” Sirius Black laughed, watching as the poor Ravenclaw girl shivered from the amount of ice water that had dumped onto her. She looked like a drowned rat, to be honest, with that rat’s nest she called a hair-do, but at least she was pretty on the eyes.

James Potter slapped his knee, unable to contain the mirth that he felt from watching the Ravenclaw shriek in bewilderment when she encountered the spell. He doubled over, feeling as if he was going to die, while Remus did his best to keep him from falling over completely.

The Ravenclaw, Higurashi Kagome, twitched visibly, as she swiftly pulled her wand from her pocket and cast a spell to dry herself off. Then, leveling the group with a hard stare, she growled from deep within her throat.

Seeming to pull himself together, James wrapped his arm around Sirius’s shoulders. He coughed, smiling at the Ravenclaw girl, as he said, “This prank was brought to you by the Marauders—!”

“I don’t  _care_  what you call yourselves,” Kagome snapped. “You’ve  _all_  got detention,  _tonight_ , for using magic in the corridors outside of class. In fact, if I catch you pulling pranks like this  _again_ , I’ll make certain that you have detention  _all year_.”

James blinked, as he watched the girl straighten her blue and bronze colored robes. His smile fell, and he found himself twitching visibly, when he realized that he had made the terrible mistake of dousing the Head Girl with ice water. “ _Uh_ , well—”

“ _Busted_ ,” Remus moaned. There went his perfect record.

Sirius coughed, drawing the attention of the Ravenclaw girl. He put on his most charming smile, as he said, “Are you certain that there isn’t something  _else_  you might want as payment for—?”

“ _Don’t even try it_ ,” she growled at the younger boy. “Detention. Tonight. Nine o’ clock sharp in Professor McGonagall’s office. I’m  _certain_  she’ll be delighted to know that her precious Gryffindor students are making a mockery of this school.”

Sirius blinked, watching as the Head Girl spun on her foot and stomped away. Then, releasing a whistle when she turned a corner, he turned to grin at James. “That girl,” he told him, “she’s going to be my  _wife_  one day!”

James punched him in the arm, grinning. “ _As if_.”


	8. Glisten

**Slytherin**

How had she been put into  _this_  house?

How had the Sorting Hat made the decision that she needed to walk the “dark side?”

It had said that she needed to learn to be more independent. That she needed the chance to prove that she, too, could be great all on her own. That she  _secretly desired_  no longer being in the shadow of her elder sister, and that desire to reach that goal “no matter the cost” was what landed her into the Slytherin house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Clutching her book bag, she looked away from her Ravenclaw sister as her fellow Slytherins began to mock her small group of friends. Kikyo, at the very least, merely looked a little upset by the fact that her self-proclaimed “best friend,” Pansy Parkinson, had decided that the small group of third year students would be easy enough to pick on. So,  _maybe_ , she would not put all the blame on—

Kikyo’s eyes narrowed, her lips drawing into a very thin line, as she glared at her.

Oh,  _no_ , she was definitely angry.

“ _Sister_ ,” Kikyo said. Her voice was even, but deadly, and she  _really_  did not see how she, Kagome, was fit to be a Slytherin while Kikyo was  _not_. At the very least, she had expected Gryffindor— “How  _kind_  of you to bring your new  _friends_  over for an introduction.”

Higurashi Kagome chuckled nervously, as she nervously glanced in Pansy’s direction. Silently, she willed the girl to  _back off_ , but it appeared, from the smirk that plastered itself onto her lips, that she had absolutely no intentions of doing that.

“Oh,” Pansy smiled that disgustingly sweet smile, “ _you’re_  Kagome’s sister?”

“ _Yes_.”

Pansy wrinkled her nose, wondering for a moment how the closed off and cold girl before her had wriggled her way into Ravenclaw. However, it did not really matter, since it appeared that only the younger Higurashi knew where her real friends could be found. “Oh, I didn’t realize,” she batted her eyes. “Where  _are_  my manners?”

Kagome shook her head, hoping that Pansy would  _not_  cross the line that she looked like she was about to cross.

“Who are  _your_  friends?” Pansy sneered suddenly. “ _Mudbloods?_ ”

Flinching, as Kikyo’s lip lifted into a snarl, Kagome felt water gathering along her eyes. She ignored the rest of the Slytherin girls surrounding her,  _protecting her_ , from Kikyo’s harsh gaze, and turned tail to run as she cried.

“ _Eh?_ ” Pansy blinked. “What got into  _her_?”


	9. Sunlight

**Hufflepuff**

The low, round ceiling spread warmth around the common room, as Cedric Diggory moved away from the tunnel leading inside the underground chamber. He smiled, waving to another Hufflepuff sitting nearby with a book on Herbology, before making his way toward the couch centered in the middle of the room.

He paused, however, upon arriving at his destination, when he found that another Hufflepuff had already made herself at home on the yellow and black upholstered surface. Her face was buried into a yellow pillow, allowing her black hair to spill across the surface, and she  _kind of_  reminded him of their house mascot with the way she tried to bury her face further in her sleep.

A soft sigh escaped her, as her face turned upward, and Cedric quickly recognized her as the third year student, Higurashi Kagome. Though two years ahead of her in age, her name had been uncommon enough to stick, and everyone in Hufflepuff knew of the outgoing and smiling Higurashi girl.

The girl that had successfully befriended Theodore Nott in Slytherin without so much as a soft smile and a hand wave.

Leaning against the back of the couch, Cedric allowed himself a moment to gaze down at the small girl. She was smiling, even in her sleep, and he felt his own lip twitched upward when she started wriggling her nose in an attempt to brush aside a stray strand of hair.

Reaching out, Cedric pushed the younger girl’s hair aside. Then, deciding that he had had enough time observing the unconscious third year, he pushed away from the couch and went toward the round door that would lead to the fifth year boy dormitory.

The other Hufflepuff, hidden behind her Herbology book, giggled softly to herself. She  _really_  hoped that whatever just happened,  _happened_ , because it was just  _oh, so_  sweet when Cedric Diggory caressed the younger girl’s hair as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him.

And, really, being a romantic, she just hoped that love blossomed underneath the sunny Hufflepuff dome.


	10. Pure

**Gryffindor**

“’eh, come on up ‘ere, ‘igurashi.” Hagrid motioned her forward, grinning as the small girl blinked curiously up at him from beneath her lashes. Grinning back at her, he motioned toward the creature gnawing on the grass a few feet away. “Go on and give ‘er a try.”

“Three galleons says that that  _beast_  puts a hole through her chest,” Draco Malfoy snickered to his friends. His gray eyes bore into her soul, taunting her, while she threw a quick glance over her shoulder toward the Slytherin git.

“Oh, Draco,” Pansy giggled, waving her hand. Then, her own smirk in place, she became serious, saying, “I’ll bet you  _ten_  that that unicorn takes one look at her, turns into a nightmare, and tries to gnaw her face off!”

“A nightmare?” another student asked.

Sneering in the direction of the muggle-born Gryffindor, Pansy stuck her nose in the air. “Don’t you  _know_?” she scowled. “If a unicorn doesn’t find you worthy, it’ll turn  _nasty_. There are stories about how unicorns used to poison young witches that didn’t possess the  _purity_  to approach them, and then they’d come back to feast upon them later!”

“Shut up, will you, Pansy,” Hermione Granger huffed. “Those are  _only_  stories.”

Hagrid coughed loudly, saying, “Now, now, class. ‘igurashi, if you will.”

Shuffling her feet around, the young Higurashi witch finally squared her shoulders when she heard the distinct snickering of Draco Malfoy and his posse. She would  _not_  be made fun of by  _them_ , of all people. So, breathing deeply, she moved forward slowly, as Hagrid had cautioned, and reached her hand out toward the creature standing a few good yards from her.

The unicorn glanced up at the movement, flaring its nostrils. If anything, it looked ready to bolt.

Swallowing thickly, Higurashi Kagome closed her eyes and prayed that it would be all right. She, after all, was a muggle-born herself, and she was not entirely certain whether or not a unicorn had the twisted nature to  _poison_ people through magic. But, she supposed, if Hermione Granger said they were only stories, than they had to be—

The smooth fur pressed into the palm of her hand, causing her to snap her eyes open. She glanced up quickly, mindful of the long, sharp horn pointed in her direction, as she came to the realization that the unicorn had come to her of its own accord.

Hagrid beamed, clapping, “Ah! Good work, ‘igurashi, good work!”

The Slytherin students present could only sneer.

“ _Ten galleons,_ eh?” Hermione huffed.


	11. Fox

**Slytherin**

The tiny, black fox made a pleased noise, as she allowed the other Slytherin to run his fingers through her fur. Her deep, blue eyes shifted close, as she buried her nose deeper into his robes, enjoying the way he scratched  _just behind her ear_.

Her leg kicked slightly, as she rubbed her snout into his stomach.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to come onto me, Kagome,” Draco Malfoy snickered lightly. The fox seemed to ignore him, enjoying the motion of his fingers, until her eyes opened and noticed the smirk that had found its way onto his face.

The tiny fox growled and pushed her head against his hand hard enough to tell him that he  _better_  keep petting her. She might decide to bite him, otherwise, and then go find someone  _else_  who was willing to stroke her in a similar fashion as the Malfoy heir.

Leaning onto the armrest, Draco allowed himself a moment to hold his head up with his opposite hand. His gray eyes watched the way the tiny fox pushed harder into his hand, as she shifted about in his lap. And, knowing that there was actually a girl stuffed inside that small, black body, he chose to cough. “You’re doing that on purpose,  _aren’t_ you?”

The fox glanced up at him, and Draco nearly sputtered in surprise when her entire form began to shift. She grew quite suddenly, her body filling out in all the correct places, as she pressed herself close enough to him that her chest was thoroughly squished against his own. “I don’t know what you  _mean_ , Draco!” she chirped.

Flushing with color, Draco glowered at the animagus situated in his lap. “Oh,  _sure,_ ” he huffed, “and I’m the bloody King of England.”

Higurashi Kagome only giggled back at him.


	12. Power

**Ravenclaw**

The Ravenclaw Head of House smiled lightly, as she motioned toward her favored student. “Higurashi Kagome, if you’d please come up here and show us all that, despite what my colleague believes, we Ravenclaw are  _more_  than capable of handling even the most skilled Slytherin.”

The girl blinked shyly, shuffling her feet for a moment, before she finally nodded. “I can do that, Professor,” she stated, as she made her way toward the dueling area. There, she bowed low to the Slytherin stationed across from her, and hoped that he would at least take her seriously.

She was, after all, two years below the talented Tom Riddle.

The Slytherin blinked humorously at the opponent the Ravenclaw Head of House had chosen as his fellow duelist. He had expected the woman to choose someone like Gabriel Roland, another seventh year, who had proven time and again that he belonged in the Ravenclaw house from the mass amount of spells he learned.

Yet, instead, the tiny fifth year, Higurashi Kagome, stood across from him.

Was she,  _perhaps_ , receiving some type of punishment?

The Slytherin Head of House frowned deeply, saying, “You cannot  _possibly_  expect for that fifth year to be able to do  _anything_  against the knowledge of a seventh.”

“Ah,” the woman smiled back at him, “but, as was your challenge, we Ravenclaw shall  _prove_  that Slytherin is not the only house in this school with  _talent_.”

Tom shrugged toward his Head of House, before turning toward his opponent with his wand at the ready. It did not matter to him if the Ravenclaw Head was putting the girl in danger. If she believed her student could hold her own, then so be it.

A twinge of anger flashed throughout his body, however, when the Ravenclaw merely began to shuffle her feet once more. And, from the way his Head of House called the duel to begin, it appeared that he, too, was annoyed with the fifth year’s arrogance.

“ _Flipendo!_ ”

Then, Tom Riddle watched in bewilderment, as the Ravenclaw girl’s eyes dilated with the sound of his voice. She shifted only slightly, stretching her hands across her front, and his mouth nearly fell open when an odd, pink sort of barrier repelled his spell back in his direction.

He hit the wall hard, disbelief filling his eyes, as he had not even seen the Ravenclaw use her wand.

His Head of House quickly came to his side, while demanding from the Ravenclaw Head what,  _exactly_ , she had done in order to cause such to happen. After all, there was no possible way that that fifth year was powerful enough to—

“Oh, don’t you start that with me!” The Ravenclaw Head huffed, saying, “As you are apparently unaware, Higurashi Kagome is adept at  _wandless_  magic. She does not need the assistance of a wand to channel her magic correctly, and is rather clever when it comes to barrier spells.”

Tom Riddle could only stare at the small Ravenclaw, his brow twitching, as he found himself wanting that power for himself.


	13. Mixture

**Slytherin**

Allowing herself a moment to glance out of the corner of her eye, she took in the appearance of the boy sitting stiffly next to her. Her brow lifted somewhat, watching him take a glance to where her pervious partner had been moved to, and felt her lip twitch in amusement. “Is there something  _wrong_ , Severus?”

“ _No_ ,” he growled back.

“Ah, well, I suppose I should be  _excited_  that Professor Slughorn wanted to put his two best potion brewers at the same table then,  _no_?” she asked. “After all,  _we_  are in the same house and wouldn’t need to try brewing anything in a  _bathroom stall_ , now would we?”

Severus Snape glared at her, sneering.

“It’s sad really,” she sighed. “That our entire school is so separated from one another that you will  _never_  be invited to another common room to spend time with friends. That we’re forced to befriend only those people  _just like us_ , or possibly be scorned for wanting to be different.”

His eyes suddenly wide, the Slytherin boy watched the girl next to him tip the bottle of Lethe River Water back and forth in front of her. He had  _never_  expected such a heartfelt confession from a fellow Slytherin, especially one who had become close friends with someone like Lucius Malfoy.

Higurashi Kagome smiled, surprising him further, as she tilted her stool back a little. “Well,” she said, “there’s really nothing that we can do about it, since Professor Slughorn’s probably not going to take it back anytime soon. So, why don’t we make the best of it?”

Severus glanced down, as the Slytherin girl stuck her hand out toward him.

“I’m Higurashi Kagome,” she chirped, “and I’m very proud to have the  _best_  potions student in all of Hogwarts as my partner!”

The boy blinked back at her, before cautiously accepting her handshake. He had never really had any sort of conversation with her before, but he wondered if,  _perhaps_ , she had hit her head sometime recently.

How had this girl been put into Slytherin, of  _all_  places?


	14. Innocent

**Hufflepuff**

“ _Ahh!_ ” she screamed, her eyes widening in horror. Her wand shook, as she found herself petrified at the sight of her deceased father standing before her. His eyes were clouded, his mind trapped within the Imperius Curse, and he did not hesitate to pull his wand from his pocket.

It pointed in her direction, like it  _always_  did.

He took a step forward, like he  _always_  did.

He could not control himself. He did not have a choice. He was going to kill her, his own daughter, in the same fashion that he had been forced to kill his mother just a moment before. He would not hesitate, not in that state, and there would be nothing that anyone could do about it.

But, then, there was always the  _voice_.

Where was the voice?

Where was her mother?!

Why was she not casting the spell that would haunt her forever? Why was she  _not_ —?

Her vision went dark almost immediately, as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher pulled her shaking body into his embrace and cast the boggart away. Fat, heavy tears began to fall from her eyes, as she found herself clutching onto his robes for dear life. “ _Daddy,_ ” she whispered. “ _Daddy._ ”

“Class is dismissed.”

Her fellow Hufflepuffs hesitated, not wanting to leave her in such a state, but quickly retreated once the Professor waved his hand toward the door.

Professor Remus Lupin softly smoothed down the young girl’s hair. If he had  _known_  that Higurashi Kagome had had such a horrifying memory, he would not have allowed her to step before the cabinet that had had a boggart trapped within. “Come now, Miss Higurashi, I do believe I have some chocolate in my office. It’ll help you feel much better.”


	15. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special edition chapter. Non-Hogwarts schooled.

**Durmstrang**

She allowed her head to tilt back, while she tugged on the fur coat wrapped protectively around her shoulders. “Vhat do you think, Viktor?” she asked. “Do you really think that you vill be the TriVizard Champion?”

“Yes,” he said simply, nodding.

“Oh?” Her eyes twinkled, while she cast a glance toward the goblet that they were approaching. Then, smirking, she said, “Vell, I think that I vill have the honor of becoming the Champion for Durmstrang! How could that goblet possibly deny someone as pretty as  _me_?”

Viktor Krum pushed against her shoulder, before returning her smirk. “Ve vill see, Ka _gu­_ me.”

Her lip immediately turned downward, as she shot him a glare. “’ey,” she snarled, “you knov  _damn vell_  that my name is  _not_  pronounced that vay, you bastard. Do you vant me hex it into you  _again_? Ka- _go­_ -me. Higurashi Kagome.”

“ _Ah_ , ja, ja,” he chuckled.

The Hogwarts students gathered around the silent goblet parted, as the girl turned away from the famous Quidditch player and sauntered her way toward the age restriction line drawn around it. The whispers began almost immediately, as she pulled a piece of parchment from where she had stashed it between her breasts, and tossed it up into the Goblet of Fire.

Then, the Durmstrange girl turned a glare toward her friend. “Vhen I am announced as the TriVizard Champion for Durmstrang, Viktor, I  _expect_  that you vill knov have to pronounce my name!”

“ _Ja, ja_ ,” he taunted her.


	16. Chocolate

**Gryffindor**

“You didn’t put anything  _weird_  in these, did you?”

Harry Potter snapped his head in her direction, saying, “What? Why would I—?”

“Well,” Higurashi Kagome huffed, as she continued to eye him suspiciously, “you  _do_  know that I am half-veela, so it would only make sense that  _someone_  would want me to,  _possibly,_  only give my attention to  _them_. I mean, you’ve heard the stories,  _right_? Half-veela can make you feel  _pleasure_  beyond  _compare_?”

His face flushed, as he shook his head. He had  _not_  heard anything of the sort, even though Hermione had made it her mission to learn everything and anything about the half-veela girl once she was sorted into Gryffindor. “No,” he said quietly, “I didn’t. I  _wouldn’t_.”

After a moment, she finally nodded in satisfaction. “I believe you,” she sighed. “And, it’s a good thing, too, because I’d rather not find myself hanging all over another boy in about an hour or so.”

Harry lifted a brow, asking, “And  _when_  did this happen?”

“Oh,” she blushed, “you  _haven’t_  heard yet? I had thought that Lavender would have told half of the school student body by the time I made it back up here with my dignity in tact.”

“And—?” There  _had_  to be more to it.

“ _Ugh_ ,” she sighed deeply, “let’s just say that some Slytherin  _git_  decided it was a good idea to put a very  _poor_  version of a love potion into the chocolates he gave me this morning for this stupid holiday.”

Immediately, Harry felt his lip twitch, as he said, “It was Malfoy, wasn’t it?”

The witch merely shuddered at the thought, as she shook her head in the negative. “No,” she said, shoving one of the chocolates into her mouth, “not Draco. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave the bloody bastard the idea.”

The Gryffindor boy only shook his head, glancing away from her when she began to shovel the sweets into her cheeks as if she was starved. It did not surprise him really, though he had almost began to wonder when someone might try a love potion on the pretty half-veela. It  _figured_  that it would be a Slytherin. “So,  _who_  was it?”

“ _Mahckus,_ ” she said with her mouth full. She glanced at him, watching as the famous Harry Potter’s face twisted several ways at the information. She giggled, swallowing, as she said, “You look  _exactly_  how I  _felt_  when I found myself plastered to his side!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, the student they are talking about is Marcus Flint.


	17. Patronum

**Ravenclaw**

**One**

“Why did the train stop?” another prefect wondered aloud.

“I don’t know,” a Slytherin shrugged. Her face was twisted in a deep scowl, as she glanced toward the window that was beginning to ice over. “This is getting weird, though.”

“Do you think that we’re being attacked?” The Gryffindor boy was brash, his wand already in his hand, as he lifted his lip in a snarl. “We have to protect the younger students if that’s the case, you know.”

“ _No_ ,” Higurashi Kagome, the current Head Girl, said. “There’s something odd about what’s happening. And, I’m sure you all heard, but  _Sirius Black_  is on the loose. If it happens to be  _him_ , none of us will stand a chance. He’s a fully grown wizard  _willing_  to  _kill_  any of us.”

Percy Weasley was on his feet the moment she pulled the carriage door open, asking, “Where are you going, Kagome?” He looked down upon the small Ravenclaw, knowing that while she was brilliant, she also had a  _nasty_  habit of getting herself into any and every situation that could result in serious injury. And, as Head Boy, it was  _his_  duty to make certain that the Head Girl did not do anything that could be deemed as irrational.

“It’s coming from that way,” she told him. “I’m going to go check it out. I expect that  _you_  will remain here and keep the other prefects from doing something  _stupid_.”

Percy stiffened at her tone, knowing that it was final, and frowned deeply. Several Slytherin prefects were snickering in his direction, amused with the way he was being forced to take orders from a girl. “Kagome, I  _really_  do not think it is wise for you to go out there by yourself.”

“You’re right,” she snorted. Then, gifting the Gryffindor with one last glance over her shoulder, she added, “It’s  _not_.”

The carriage door slammed in her wake.

* * *

**Two**

Gripping her wand tightly, Higurashi Kagome slowly made her way down the Hogwarts Express corridor. The empty feeling she was experiencing was growing stronger, and she  _knew_  that she was nearing the area where the creature was patrolling. The question was,  _why_  was it on the Express in the first place?

Was it searching for Sirius Black?

And, not  _only_  that, but what  _idiot_  had thought it was a good idea to allow a Dementor to roam about a train full of  _children_?

The Ravenclaw girl pulled another compartment completely closed, reassuring the obviously first year students, all dressed up in their unmarked robes, that everything was going to be  _all right_. There was  _nothing_  that would harm them on the Hogwarts Express.

Her heart constricted the further she walked, and she  _knew_  that it would soon that she would hear the screams. There were  _always_  the screams when a Dementor was involved. It forced the memory to the surface, even though she had only been a child, and, as Head Girl, it was her  _duty_  to push the memories at bay and find her happy memory nestled beneath.

A Dementor would not distinguish between friend or foe. It only sucked the happiness and life from a person whose memories permitted them to do such. And, if it had the pleasure of finding a student that had had a horrible experience, it would not hesitate to feed.

And, it was  _that_  fact that forced the Head Girl to keep her pace, even when the screams inside her head pierced forth.

* * *

**Three**

Her happy memory was easy enough. Her father was there, after all, and she could remember the giddiness that she had felt when he placed another flower crown upon her head. She begged him to teach her, but he only patted her on the shoulder, telling her that he would teach her when she was a little older. She smiled back at him, every time, and told him that it was a promise.

And, while she knew that he would not get the chance, the memory filled her with a warmth that she had had ripped away from her within the Dementor’s presence. The creature paused, sensing her, and pulled away from the meal that it had found nestled inside the compartment.

Her wand lifted effortlessly, as she shouted, “ _Expecto Patronum!_ ”

The silver dog sprang forth from her wand immediately, snarling, as it rushed toward the cloaked phantom. The light was brilliant, glittering, as the silver dog easily pressured the Dementor away from the student that it had decided to snack upon.

She took a step forward, pushing the Dementor further away. “ _Get out_ ,” she snarled. “How  _dare_  you attack a student!” The silver dog pulsed, growing, as the light increased from the end of her wand.

The Dementor, knowing it could not win, ran.

Releasing the breath she was holding, Higurashi Kagome allowed herself to rush toward the compartment that the Dementor had chosen to feast within. She paused in the doorway, recognizing the fallen form of Harry Potter, and gasped, “Oh  _god_.”

The man kneeling beside the boy looked up, smiling, as he said, “That was one very powerful happy memory you must have to produce a patronus of that caliber, Miss—?”

“Kagome,” she said. She had noticed his luggage, and knew him to be Professor Lupin. Most likely, as it was the unluckiest subject, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. “Higurashi Kagome, sir.”

“Ah,” Remus Lupin nodded. “Well, while I must thank you for doing your duty as Head Girl to protect the younger students, Miss Higurashi, I believe that I have this situation under control. You may return to the carriage with the rest of the prefects, if you like.”

“Yes,” she bowed her head slightly out of habit, “of course, Professor.”

As she walked away, leaving Harry Potter in the hands of Professor Lupin, she finally felt herself begin to breath normally once again. The Ravenclaw girl sighed happily to herself, once again thinking of her father, as he was the one that  _always_  chased the demons away.


	18. Honey

**Hufflepuff**

“So, are you—”

“—thinking what I’m thinking?”

Peeking around the corner, Higurashi Kagome wondered the Weasley twins were doing  _exactly_  near the Hufflepuff common room entrance. Knowing the Gryffindor pranksters, it could be anything, and she certainly did  _not_  feel like walking into another spell that they had “left lying around.”

“They say, Gred,” she assumed that that twin was George Weasley, “that you have to tap the right barrel in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff in order to get into the common room.”

“Ah,  _yes_ ,” she assumed that that twin was Fred Weasley, “but the question is,  _which_  barrel is the  _right_  barrel?”

They grinned at one another, chirping, “ _We’ll figure it out!_ ”

“And then—” Or was  _that_  twin Fred and the other George? She was not entirely certain, but she was immediately amused when she realized that they were attempting to  _break into_  the Hufflepuff common room. They were in for a real  _surprise_. “—we’ll finally break that  _thousand_  year record that Freddie was so pleased with!”

Holding a hand to her mouth, she watched as the Weasley twins finally came to a decision about which barrel was the  _right_  barrel. And then, nodding to one another, the twin closest whipped out his wand, tapping the barrel—

The Hufflepuff girl burst into laughter, watching the two pranksters sputter as they were doused with vinegar. They turned to one another, shouting, and began pushing back and forth, claiming the other one had picked the wrong barrel to tap. The shouting quickly stopped, however, as they became aware of her presence from the giggles she could not keep at bay.

Fred grinned at his brother, as he said, “Hey, Forge, are you—?”

“—thinking we might get better results with  _honey_?” George grinned back.

Kagome’s eyes went wide, as she found herself at the mercy of the Weasley twins within mere seconds. “Ah, w-wait,” she stuttered, “I’m  _not_  helping you break into the Hufflepuff common room!”


	19. Lift

**Slytherin**

“Know it all,  _mudblood_ , is what she is,” Draco hissed low to the group around him.

Releasing a sigh, Higurashi Kagome took a glance at the Malfoy heir. “It’s  _not_  really that hard,” she told him. She blinked, wondering if he had hurt his neck with how quickly he had snapped his neck in her direction to glare at her. “It’s really all in the pronunciation.”

“You filthy little half-blood,” he sneered.

She quickly returned his glare at her newfound title.

Pansy Parkinson huffed lightly, saying, “If you think it’s so  _easy_ , why don’t you cast the spell instead of sitting there while the rest of us do it,  _half-blood_? I haven’t even seen you so much as lift your wand!”

“Oh, how  _original_.” Kagome rolled her eyes for good measure, knowing that it would get under the pug-faced girl’s skin. Her own Slytherin friends giggled, despite not wanting to face the Slytherin Prince’s wrath, as Pansy Parkinson turned a lovely shade of red.

“Why,  _you_ —!” Pansy growled.

Draco leaned forward, a smirk gracing his pale features, as he sent her a challenging stare. “Parkinson has a  _point_ , half-blood. Why  _haven’t_  you even attempted to do the spell yet?” he asked. “Are you secretly a  _squib_? Tricked one of the teachers so that you could wiggle your way into Hogwarts?”

She huffed, as she reached forward to grab her wand. “As if.” Then, performing the motion that Professor Flitwick had instructed them upon, she stated, “ _Wingardium Leviosa_.”

“Ah, look!” Professor Flitwick cheered. “Miss Higurashi has mastered the spell, as well! Ten points to Slytherin!”

The Slytherin Prince wrinkled his nose in displeasure, as he leaned back into his seat. His wand flicked in a similar fashion, as he was  _unwilling_  to be beaten by a filthy little half-blood. “ _Wingardium Leviosa._ ”

His feather, however, only inched about.

“Oh,” Kagome coughed, smirking as she mocked him, “you’re saying it  _wrong_. Don’t you  _know_?”

Draco Malfoy growled.


	20. Corridor

**Gryffindor**

Higurashi Kagome paused in step, as she did a retake behind her. She blinked rapidly, tilting her head to the side, when she came to the realization that,  _yes_ , there  _was_  a large, black dog padding down the corridor after her. And that, upon noticing her stare, came to an abrupt halt as it took a seat.

“How did you—?” Her question was left unanswered,  _naturally_ , as she continued to blink at the shaggy hound. “Do you belong to one of the Professors?” she wondered aloud.

The dog gave a snort, as if replying to her.

“Are you—” she paused, thinking it ridiculous that the dog could understand a single word she was saying, “— _magical_?”

The black dog gave one loud bark.

And that was how she found herself in a staring match with what she was  _certain_  was some type of magical dog. How could he  _not_  be magical? He had responded almost immediately to her question, as a spark of intelligence flashed through his eyes.

Unless, of course, it was just some  _huge_  coincidence.

Reaching up, the Gryffindor girl took a moment to rub her suddenly throbbing temple. “Ugh, I can’t do this, this early in the morning,” she groaned. “It’s just  _too_  much. One minute I’m a completely normal girl going to normal school, and the next I’m talking to animals.”

As she walked away, Sirius Black gave a short, dog-like chuckle.


	21. Punishment

**Ravenclaw**

She gripped her quill tightly, pursing her lips, as she leveled the annoying Professor with a hard stare. Did she  _honestly_  think that her happy exterior fooled anyone from the amount of  _pink_  she wore? That it was  _not_  obvious that she was extremely, positively  _evil_? That she absolutely hated  _children_?

Her brow twitched, as she dipped her quill into her inkpot. After all, despite what she thought, she had  _had_  the pleasure of receiving detention from the  _loveliest_  Professor in  _all_ of Hogwarts. And it was best just to get it  _over_  with rather than staring the woman down in hopes that she would release her without the punishment she had assigned.

“ _Hem, hem_.”

The Ravenclaw paused, her quill poised against her blank piece of parchment.

“Miss Hi _gar_ ashia—” Higurashi Kagome flinched at the blatant butchering of her name, “—due to your  _attitude_ , I do believe I’d prefer if you would use  _my_  quill instead of your own.”

The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor flicked her wand, gifting the fifth year Ravenclaw with one of her very  _special_  quills located on her desk. A smile pulled at her lips, her eyes twinkling, as she said, “I want you to write, ‘ _I will not talk back,_ ’ one hundred times, Miss Hi _gar_ ashia. Can you do that for me?”

Kagome snatched the quill from the air, saying, “ _Of course_ , Professor.”

“Oh,” Professor Umbridge added, “don’t worry about ink, dear. You won’t need it with  _that_  quill.”

Gritting her teeth, the girl once again settled her quill against the parchment she had placed before her. Her handwriting was neat, pretty even, as she began to write, “ _I will not talk back_ ,” rapidly.

“ _Ouch_!” Pain shot through her hand, and, glancing down, Kagome felt her eyes widen. Blood trickled over the backside of her hand, as the words, “ _I will not talk back_ ,” slowly carved themselves into her skin.

What kind of sadistic  _bitch_ —?!

“Is there something  _wrong_ , Miss Hi _gar_ ashia?”

“No,” she growled, her eyes sharp, “of course  _not_ , Professor Umbridge.”


	22. Bet

**Hufflepuff**

“Ten galleons,” Ronald Weasley smiled, “says that she turns around in less than two minutes and knocks that git’s teeth out!”

Harry Potter pondered the time period, before he smiled back at his best friend. “I think it’ll take  _four_  minutes before she slaps him across the face!” he replied.

Hermione Granger sighed, feeling her brow twitch a little. “Really?” she huffed. “Is that  _all_  you two can think about?”

“ _What?_ ” Ron frowned. “This  _always_  happens, Hermione! Malfoy says something demeaning, she storms off, and then she lays into him for thinking that  _just because_  he’s a Slytherin git that that makes him better than everyone else.”

“Oh, Ronald,” Hermione shook her head lightly, “I don’t think you’re noticing the  _big picture_.”

“What in the bloody blazes does that mean?” the wizard twitched. He always hated when Hermione decided to throw some muggle saying in his face. And then, afterward, correct him on his spell pronunciation as well.

“Let me put it this way,” Hermione said, “Draco Malfoy  _likes_  Higurashi Kagome.”

“ _Ppshhh!_ ” Ron snorted, laughter quickly building in his chest. “Oh, that’s a  _riot_ , Hermione!”

The Gryffindor girl frowned deeply, saying, “It’s  _true_.” Then, noticing her friend’s disbelieving glance, she added, “Let’s look at the facts,  _shall we_?”

“ _Ugh_ ,” even Harry Potter groaned.

“First and foremost,” Hermione began, “Higurashi Kagome is the  _only_  person who receives the brunt of Malfoy’s teasing each and every day. It is well known that boys have a  _nasty_  habit of picking on girls they like. Secondly, she  _is_  a pure blood witch, and,  _therefore_ , really has no reason to receive such, even if she was put into Hufflepuff. Which brings me to my third point—!”

“All right, all right,” Ron sighed in defeat. “But, that  _still_  doesn’t mean that—!”

“Oh, just  _look over there_!” Hermione pointed toward the Slytherin and Hufflepuff they had been discussing, and watched as Ron turned his head quickly in case he had missed something.

“U- _ugh_ ,” Ron suddenly made a face, “I think I’m going to be  _sick_.”

“That’s just not  _right_.” Harry made a face himself.

Hermione grinned in triumph, her eyes twinkling, as she took one final glance at the Slytherin Prince snogging the tiny Hufflepuff he had backed into a corner. “I  _told_  you,” she said, nodding happily.


	23. Flower

**Ravenclaw**

“ _Orchideous_.” The flower bouquet conjured itself at the tip of her wand, as the Ravenclaw smiled at her one and only Gryffindor friend. Then, she said, “And that’s all there is to it.”

The red haired Gryffindor clapped excitedly. She laughed, as she asked, “Oh, you know what that spell reminds me of, Kagome?”

Higurashi Kagome, a muggle born witch herself, smiled brightly back at her friend. “I know  _exactly_  what you’re going to say, Lily! Because, it reminded me of all those magicians who pull flower bouquets from  _nowhere_ , too.”

Lily Evans giggled lightly. Her light laughter paused, however, when her Ravenclaw friend pushed the flowers under her nose. “Oh,” she blushed, “you don’t have to give them to me. I just wanted to know the spell was all,  _really_.”

“Oh, go on,” Kagome sighed. “You could even give them to your Slytherin friend, if you wanted.”

“ _Severus?_ ” Lily frowned deeply, glancing away from Kagome when she saw the other girl nod. She knew that the Ravenclaw was only being nice, but it  _still_  hurt whenever she was reminded of how her  _former_  best friend had treated her several months ago. And, from the looks of it, the Ravenclaw house had not heard the news. “Um,  _well_ , I’m afraid that I don’t really talk to Severus that much anymore, unfortunately.”

“Oh.” Kagome blinked in surprise. She felt bad for having ruined her friend’s good mood. So, again, she offered the flower bouquet to the green eyed witch. “Then, I  _suppose_ , you can keep it to help you feel better.”

Taking the bouquet, Lily Evans felt herself smiling once more.

Kagome always knew how to cheer her up.


	24. Collision

**Slytherin**

An odd, wicked little grin appeared on her face, as she twisted her Nimbus 2001 suddenly. The Bludger she had sighted shot off with the force of the smack, and she heard her house give a loud cheer when it nearly knocked a Gryffindor from his broom.

Higurashi Kagome laughed, steering her broom in the direction of another Bludger chasing after a fellow Slytherin. The chase thrilled her to the core, as the wind whipped around her body, and she was readied her club as she neared the annoying little bugger.

A well placed swing, and the Bludger sailed off in the direction of the Gryffindor Seeker. Harry Potter was forced to change direction, and she nodded her head to herself, happy to see him suddenly steer away from the Slytherin Seeker, Draco Malfoy.

Her body twisted over in a roll suddenly, as she shot a glare toward one of the Weasley twins. A growl escaped her, knowing that she had narrowly missed having that Bludger nail her in the side of the head. “ _Bastard_ ,” she hissed underneath her breath.

As if he heard her, the red headed Beater threw her a smirk over his shoulder.

Frowning deeply to herself, the Slytherin Beater shifted her broom after the cocky Gryffindor. Her hand tightened around her club, her eyes searching for another one of the jinxed balls, as she declared war on the Weasley twin inside her head.


	25. Freeze

**Gryffindor**

“ _Eh?_ ” Higurashi Kagome turned around suddenly, blinking. “Who’s there?”

The Gryffindor girl frowned deeply, allowing her eyes to flicker about the bathroom, before she decided that there really was nothing there. Whatever she had heard most likely had come from the corridor outside, so there really was nothing to worry about.

At least, not  _yet_.

There was the off chance that the sound had been a Slytherin girl slipping into the bathroom with her. Those idiots always did like attempting to hex her from the back after she schooled Lisa Clarke in a duel the pervious year. They, however, had never really proven to be very skilled in sneaking around, so she knew that the noise could have resulted in something much worse.

With all the students that were being petrified recently and  _whatnot_.

Allowing herself the moment to relax, Kagome turned back toward the mirror behind her. The facet started immediately once the knob was turned, and she quickly returned to splashing water upon her face like she had originally planned. Her eyes closed as she sighed happily, feeling much better knowing that she was finally getting the chance to remove the small ink splatter that had been there.

_Hhhahhhhsss._

Her back stiffened at the sound. Her eyes opened slowly, noticing the shadow that had cloaked her body, before she finally made a small glance up into the mirror.

“ _Ah_ ,” the sound barely left her lips, as the sight of the large, yellow eyes residing inside the mirror caused the world to go black.


	26. Cling

**Hufflepuff**

“Cedric!” the young Hufflepuff called, “ _Cedric!_ ”

Cedric Diggory lifted his eyebrow, as his Ravenclaw girlfriend grabbed onto his hand suddenly at the other Hufflepuff’s voice. The Ravenclaw girl only turned her head away with a light blush, though, when he bumped her slightly with his shoulder. “Is there something wrong, Cho?”

“No,” Cho sighed. “No, of course  _not_.”

“Are you  _sure_?” Cedric knew that the question would not be answered from the way she turned away from him. “ _Cho?_ ”

“Cedric!” Higurashi Kagome smiled at her fellow student when she finally caught up to him. Then, she asked, “Did you forget that you were going to help me with my Transfiguration homework today, Cedric?”

“ _Oh_ ,” Cedric smiled back at her. “No, I just got a little distracted and didn’t notice the time was all.”

Cho Chang stiffened, before shooting a glare toward the younger Hufflepuff. “ _Distracted._ ” Her voice was tight with jealousy, knowing that Cedric would keep his word. He always kept his word, but,  _lately_ , it seemed that Higurashi Kagome was  _always_  asking him to help her. “Is that what  _I_  am now, Cedric, a  _distraction_?”

“ _What?_ ” Cedric blinked rapidly, wondering where  _that_  had come from. “No!”

The Ravenclaw girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, as she said, “I’m going back to my common room. Have fun with your  _tutoring_  session.”

Even Kagome stood dumbfounded, as the two Hufflepuff students watched the Ravenclaw swiftly walk away. Her face colored slightly, as she mumbled, “I’m sorry, Cedric, I wouldn’t have asked if I’d known you were going to be spending time with Cho. I’m just having a little problem with Professor McGonagall’s homework anyway, I’m sure I could—”

Cedric frowned, saying, “No, it’s  _fine_. I promised you I would help you, and I forgot to tell Cho about it when she caught me in the hall after class. She’ll understand once I get the chance to explain.”

“ _Oh_ , well, if you’re sure.”

“Come on,” Cedric smiled, “we’ll study in the library.”

“Okay!” Higurashi Kagome smiled back.


	27. Temper

**Gryffindor**

“You think you’re so  _high_  and  _mighty_ , Malfoy!” Higurashi Kagome screeched. “You’re nothing more than an annoying  _git_  that doesn’t know how to shut his mouth once in a while!”

Lucius Malfoy felt his lip lift in a snarl, as he glowered down at the Gryffindor prefect. She was one to  _talk_ , considering she never knew how to shut her own damn mouth. All she ever did was screech and moan, horrified that  _anyone_  would treat another student with some type of distain.

“How  _dare_  you treat another student like that,” she snarled. “You’re supposed to be  _Head Boy_ , yet you’re  _still_  acting like you’re nothing more than a five year old who needs to hold his daddy’s hand!”

There was a crowd forming already, consisting mainly of Slytherin and Gryffindor students willing to cast the first stone. The two houses growled and spat at one another, fueled by the animosity Higurashi Kagome was releasing upon Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius frowned deeply, before he said, “ _Detention_ , tonight, Higurashi.”

“W- _what?_ ” Kagome snarled. She nearly flinched at the glare he threw her, but managed to hold her ground firmly. “You can’t just—!”

“You, in all your Gryffindor  _glory_ , are making a very  _large_  disturbance in the corridor,” Lucius replied, effectively cutting off her sentence. “I believe I am  _more_  than justified to give you detention, Higurashi, whether you are a  _prefect_  or  _not_.”

She twitched visibly, before hissing, “You pompous  _ass_.”

“As you said,” Lucius smirked as he mocked her, “I am Head Boy.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Kagome snorted, “however, I’m sure that Professor McGonagall would find  _that_  to be an extreme abuse of power! You can’t just throw around detentions just because you feel like it! Especially after you—!”

“ _Tonight_ , Higurashi,” he reminded her. “In Professor Slughorn’s office, ten o’clock. I’m certain that he will have quite a few cauldrons for you to scrub out.”

Sputtering, Higurashi Kagome found herself yelling, “ _Ass!_ ” as Lucius Malfoy turned on his heel and walked away from her.


	28. TriWizard

**Slytherin**

**One**

The Goblet of Fire flared to life once more, blue flames whipping wildly about, before a single piece of parchment shot into the Great Hall. Hogwarts students alike held their breath, watching as Professor Albus Dumbledore swiped it from the air with ease.

The question hung heavily among them—who would be the Hogwarts Champion?—as they waited for the Professor to finally unfold the parchment.

“Maybe it’ll be a Gryffindor,” Harry Potter whispered to his best friend.

Ronald Weasley nodded, as he said, “As long as it isn’t a Slytherin, I’ll be—!”

Professor Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to twinkle, as he finally announced the name of the Hogwarts Champion. “Higurashi Kagome!” he called. His voice boomed around the Great Hall, demeaning silence, as he waited for the young woman to finally make her appearance.

“ _Who?_ ” Ron frowned. He had never heard the name before, and he was immediately concerned that—

The Slytherin house erupted into cheers suddenly, as the small seventh year stepped away from the crowd they had formed. Her smile was bright, excited, and it was not long before her appearance caused the other houses to join in the excitement.

“Oh, just  _great_ ,” Ron almost snarled.

“Well, it could have been  _worse_ ,” Harry laughed. He, too, had never heard the name Higurashi Kagome, but knowing that the Goblet of Fire had chosen her, he did not feel the same animosity that Ron felt. There had to be something that the Goblet recognized, after all, despite her Slytherin affiliation.

“Oh  _dear_ ,” Hermione sighed. She really could not understand Ron’s prejudice against the girl, but she was certain that it would have only been increased if he had known what she, herself, knew. In fact, if what she had read was true, the Higurashi family had dabbled heavily in the Dark Arts and been avid supporters of the Dark Lord during the First Wizarding War.

But this Higurashi girl, with her bright smile, did not seem to deserve such treatment. Especially once Hermione considered the fact that the Goblet of Fire had to have recognized her determination and strength to participate in dangerous situations.

“And now that our three Champions have been chosen—”

The Great Hall’s excitement seemed to die, however, when the Goblet of Fire flared to life once more unexpectedly. Another piece of parchment flew into the air, and the Great Hall waited with baited breath, as Professor Dumbledore quietly grabbed the parchment in confusion.

* * *

**Two**

The Slytherin girl frowned, watching as Harry Potter finally returned from his untimely adventure with Rita Skeeter. The woman was vicious, and she was rather glad that the reporter seemed more interested in the famous Harry Potter than anyone else. “Poor kid,” she mumbled.

“Ah, but at least it is not you, ja?” Viktor Krum said.

The Hogwarts Champion nodded, before her eyes flickered toward Professor Dumbledore when he coughed. Beside him stood Garrick Ollivander, and she straightened a little knowing that the time had finally come for her wand to be weighed. “Professor,” she greeted Dumbledore.

“I would like to introduce Mr. Ollivander,” Professor Dumbledore said. “He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are suitable for the tournament.”

The wand maker stepped forward, his eyes twinkling, as he called forth Fleur Delacour. He tipped her wand this way and that in his examination, muttering about how it was made with rosewood, inflexible. And even Kagome lifted her brow when the Beauxbatons girl declared that the core was made from the hair of her veela grandmother.

And then it was her turn, as Mr. Ollivander said, “Miss Higurashi, if you would please step forward.”

The Slytherin girl quickly did as she was asked, pulling her sleek, honey-colored wand from her robe. A smile touched her face, as Mr. Ollivander carefully took it from her hand and brought it to his ear.

“Ah, one of mine, yes?” Mr. Ollivander asked.

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

“ _Hm_ ,” he muttered. “A curious wand, indeed. I remember the day you stepped into my shop, Miss Higurashi, as I remember everyone who has ever purchased one of my wands. This one, I remember, had the tendency to be quite temperamental before it was placed into your hands.”

“It does contain dragon heartstring,” she reminded him.

“Ah, yes,” he nodded. “Thirteen and a quarter inches. The wood of a sacred tree combined with dragon heartstring. Surprisingly swishy.” And then, with a flick of his wrist, he produced a brilliant spectrum of light from the tip. “All in good working order, Miss Higurashi.”

“Thank you, sir.” Her head bowed slightly, a habit she had gained from her mother, as she took her wand from Mr. Ollivander. Then, turning on her heel, she returned to her seat.

Fleur Delacour turned to her, asking, “A zacred zree? Not ofzen zat anyone uses zat zpe of wood.”

“Yes,” she smiled at her, “it would seem that we both have very unique wands, Fleur.”

Harry Potter could only blink, as the Slytherin girl began to laugh with her Beauxbatons rival. The entire Gryffindor house was in an uproar, not only with his supposed  _tricking_  of the Goblet of Fire, but also the fact that the Hogwarts Champion had been a Slytherin student.

That girl, though, she seemed entirely too nice to be a typical Slytherin.

* * *

**Three**

Her vision went black for a moment, as the pain shot through her side. The dragon’s fangs sunk deep, ripping through her flesh with ease, and she vaguely felt herself lifted from the ground. There was blood gushing, she knew, as she finally came back to herself to find that the dragon had been kind enough to throw her high into the air.

Hogwarts students alike screamed, watching her untimely flight.

Higurashi Kagome hit the ground hard, rolling, and she allowed herself only a moment to lie there. Her arms tightened around the Golden Egg she had managed to snatch from the dragon, knowing that she had completed the task, but the snarl from the beast quickly had her on edge.

Despite the puddle of blood beneath her, the Slytherin girl found the strength to face her flame-throwing opponent. Her eyes were wild, gazing into the blood-dripping maw of the beast, and she instinctively lifted her hand toward the danger.

The dragon roared in bewilderment, as a strange pink magic erupted from the girl’s body. Blinded from the light, the dragon roared, before thick, scorching flames were released in the Slytherin’s direction.

The shock registered quickly, and then the whispers began, when it became clear that some type of barrier had protected the Hogwarts Champion from her fiery death. She stood among the last of the flames, her wand pointed in the direction of the beast, as she clutched her Golden Egg to her bleeding side.

“ _Confringo!_ ”

A rock near the dragon exploded, causing the blinded beast to back away in confusion. Flames filled the air when another rock exploded, scorching the ground and hitting flame resistant barriers, as the dragon was unable to determine where the threat had came from.

Blood trailing behind her, Higurashi Kagome finally slipped through the opened door and into the hands of concerned medics.

* * *

**Four**

Harry blinked curiously, as he watched the Slytherin girl turn on her heel and give him a small smile. Then, almost as if she had never done such, Kagome twirled again and briskly walked away from him.

He still could not figure out how that girl had landed herself in Slytherin.

However, he did not give himself too much time to dwell on the subject, as he carefully unfolded the piece of parchment she had swiftly shoved into his hand. Her writing was pretty and neat, and he felt his brow furrow inward at the words that she had sprawled there.

‘ _You should try taking a bath to clear your head, Harry. Don’t forget to take your egg with you._ ’

Glancing up, Harry Potter found that luck was not on his side. The Higurashi had already disappeared down another corridor, leaving him to ponder silently over what she meant. Why should he take his egg for a bath, of all things? Did it have something to do with how to stop the blasted thing from screeching every time he attempted to open it?

Looking back down at the parchment, hoping that he had missed something, Harry felt confused to find the words beginning to vanish. And then, just as quickly, another sentence replaced it:

‘ _Oh, sorry about the buttons, by the way._ ’

“Buttons?” Harry mumbled. “What does  _that_  mean?”

What an odd Slytherin.

* * *

**Five**

“ _Souta!_ ” The gasp escaped her immediately, though unheard through the bubble charm she had cast around her face. She had known that something had been taken from her, something  _important_ , but she had not expected it to be her little brother.

Harry Potter turned, gaping at her, as her powerful, transfigured tail fin pushed her rapidly through the water. She barely gifted the Gryffindor with a glance, though, knowing that Viktor Krum was once again ahead of her, and blasted her way through her brother’s thick chain.

“ _Souta_ ,” she muttered, holding him close.

Harry seemed to say something, from all the bubbles rising from his mouth, but she did not understand. She noticed that he motioned rapidly to the other two people floating nearby, and allowed herself the moment to pause.

Where was Fleur?

The Beauxbatons girl had been ahead of her, from what she knew, so why was her precious person still trapped in suspended animation beneath the lake? Had she been unlucky enough to encounter the giant squid? And, if something  _had_  happened to her, what would become of—?

The Slytherin girl shook her head, glaring at the Gryffindor boy. She understood that he had the same worry, from the look in his eye, but he had to understand that Professor Dumbledore would  _not_  allow these people to die. They were in no real danger. “ _No_ ,” she told him, “ _sorry_.”

The Gryffindor did not understand, and could only gasp when her sudden departure swirled the water around him and in his face.

* * *

**Six**

“Hermione?!” Harry Potter blinked in surprise, as his friend turned toward him from her place on Viktor Krum’s arm. He was more than a little surprised by the fact that his friend was standing there, as pretty as ever, accompanied by the Durmstang Champion as if it were an everyday occurrence.

“Oh, hello, Harry,” Hermione smiled.

Harry felt his mouth drop open, as he blinked at Hermione Granger. He now understood why she had glared so heatedly at Ron when she snapped that she already had a date to the Yule Ball. Of course, Ron  _had_  made it out to seem like he was only asking to make certain Hermione was not forced to go alone for the evening.

The  _last_  person he expected, though, was Viktor Krum!

“Trying to catch flies, are you now,  _Potter_?”

His head snapped in the other boy’s direction, as he snarled, “ _Malfoy_.”

The other Hogwarts Champion on his arm giggled lightly, causing the Slytherin Prince to smirk in triumph.

Harry felt his eyebrow twitch, realizing that Draco Malfoy had somehow convinced Higurashi Kagome to accompany him for the night. He tightened his grip in annoyance, and he blinked when Parvati pushed him in the shoulder with a light glare. “Oh,” he muttered, “sorry about  _that_.”

It was just  _odd_ , though. He had not expected for the Slytherin girl to accept the invitation of someone three years her junior. Especially when they seemed to resemble night and day within the small antechamber they were forced to wait in until McGonagall called them into the Great Hall.

Even Parvati seemed to notice his current train of thought, as she turned her head toward the Slytherin pair. “She’s so  _small_  compared to him.” Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth, as she added, “You certainly wouldn’t think that she was a seventh year, would you?”

Harry had  _not_  noticed, truthfully, but he nodded nevertheless.

But, with her standing beside Draco Malfoy, Harry noted that Parvati was correct in her observation. Higurashi Kagome was  _really_  small compared to the Malfoy heir. She barely reached the boy’s chin, and was forced to tilt her head back to look the other Slytherin in the face when he teased her lightly.

Professor McGonagall coughed, catching his attention, as she motioned them through the doors leading into the Great Hall. Parvati was quick to follow the instruction, tugging on his arm, and he found himself falling into step behind Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies.

“Don’t  _trip_ , Potter,” Draco called from behind him.

“Oh,” Kagome sighed, “be  _nice_ , Draco.”

* * *

**Seven**

“You should take it,” she told him softly. “You just saved my life.”

Harry blinked in surprise, noticing that the Slytherin was smiling at him from behind the TriWizard Cup. His face flushed slightly, since he was certain that anyone else would have done the same if they had found her pinned to the ground beneath Viktor Krum. “Well,” he sort of half-smiled back at her, “I think that  _you_  should take it. I’ve got enough of the whole  _fame_  and  _glory_  thing, y’know?”

“No.” Her voice was firm as she continued, saying, “I didn’t stop to help you underneath the lake, even when it was obvious that you wanted me to. But you, Harry Potter,  _you_  took it upon yourself to make certain that I wasn’t raped or killed or—”

“—Okay, yeah,” Harry cut her off. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, as he said, “Maybe you didn’t do that, but you still helped me with the Golden Egg after I told you about the First Task!”

Her smile twisted a little, as she said, “Professor Snape had already told me about the dragons. I only took the time to help you with your Golden Egg because I thought it admirable that a Gryffindor would stop to think about helping a Slytherin.”

“O- _oh_.” He supposed he should have known Snape would not allow one of his precious snakes to step into the unknown. “Then how ‘bout—”

Her brow knitted together, as she asked, “ _Yes?_ ”

“—we do it together,” Harry suggested. “Win together, that is.”

“A Gryffindor and a Slytherin?” she chuckled. “ _Scandalous_.”

Harry could only blink at her, as she smiled once again.

“But, I’m willing,” she sighed. “If that is what you really want.”

And then he smiled himself.

“On the count of three?” she suggested. She was satisfied when he nodded back at her, waiting for when she would finally start the count down. His emerald green eyes were focused upon her, and she was amazed once again that the Gryffindor wanted to include his rival house in the glory of Hogwarts.

“One,” Harry gulped, “two,” and his hand twitched, “ _three!_ ”

The world twisted away from them both the moment they touched the TriWizard Cup. Everything turned black in an instant, and neither could quite register which of them was screaming.

* * *

**Eight**

“Wormtail,” there was a voice through the haze, “make sure the Slytherin does not interfere.”

Harry Potter blinked rapidly, trying to overcome the black spots in his vision. He lifted himself onto his hands, unsure about the situation, as searing hot pain rushed through his forehead and into his brain. “ _Ahh!_ ” he yelped in surprise.

“Harry!” Kagome’s voice cut through the dizziness that he felt.

Harry smiled a bit, pleased to know that the Slytherin girl was still with him. It was comforting in some way, as his vision began to come back to him, knowing that the older witch had not left his side. “Ka—” it was difficult to speak through the pain, “— _go_ me.”

“Are you alright?” she asked, concerned.

Her face came into view at last, and Harry nodded rather dumbly at her. Then, he asked, “Where are we?”

“ _Wormtail_.” The demand was harsh the second time.

“ _Ah!_ ” another voice replied. “Yes, of course, My Lord!”

“ _What—_?” Kagome started to pull her wand from her robes, but she was not given the chance.

Harry nearly screamed when the spell hit her. He watched, helpless, as the Slytherin was thrown back a good ten feet and into a headstone. She slammed her head pretty hard, slumping down against the stone, and then the blood started staining the front of her blouse. “ _Kagome!_ ”

Oh  _god_ , was she  _breathing_?!

“Don’t worry, Potter,” the pain increased, as he whipped his head in the direction of the voice, “you won’t have to worry about your little Slytherin girlfriend once we’re done with you.”

“ _Pettigrew_ ,” he snarled.

* * *

**Nine**

“ _—go_ me!” That was her mother’s voice. “ _Ka_ —!”

“— _gome_!” That was her brother’s voice. “Mother,  _mother_ , stop it! She’s still bleeding!”

Her body jostled once more, she was quickly reminded of the massive headache pounding beneath her temple. “ _Ugh_ ,” she moaned through the pain. “Whe— _where_ —?”

Her mother smoothed back her hair once more, as her tears dripped steadily down onto her daughter’s face. “You’re right here, Kagome,” she cried. “You’re right here with  _me_.”

Her head shook lightly, as she continued asking, “—whe—Harry—Harry Po— _Harry_.”

“Harry Potter is  _fine_ ,” her mother reprimanded her lightly. “You should be more worried about yourself. Look at  _you_! You’re all covered in  _blood_.”

Her eyes opened lazily, as her head slowly rolled to one side. Everything was spinning, but her concern could not be deterred. What had happened? How had she survived? Where was Harry Potter? Why did everyone look horrified and nervous?

Her mother’s mouth thinned, as she called, “Bring Harry Potter here  _immediately_! And where is that blasted medic?! Why are you people not concerned with the fact that my daughter is bleeding heavily?”

Having noticed her mother’s worried, chipped tone, Higurashi Kagome rolled her head back in her head direction. “ _Mother_ ,” she called quietly. Her mother was not known for having such a tone, so she could only fathom as to why her eyes looked so crazed beneath the water flow.

The older Higurashi shook her head, before she leaned down to speak quietly into her daughter’s ear. Kagome would understand, being the oldest, though the memories were muddled and distant. “ _He’s back,_ ” she muttered, “ _He’s back_.”

Madam Pomfrey pushed her way through the crowd, at last.

The Slytherin felt her eyes widen, as the implication of her mother’s words hit her to the core. Her own tears finally dripped down her tears, while she took the time to look into the face of her little brother. “ _No_ ,” she whispered.

“Shh, it’s alright, dear.” Madam Pomfrey pulled her wand. “You’ll—”

“ _No!_ ” Kagome screamed. It could  _not_  be true. Her mother had done everything in her power to separate them from the Dark Arts, and the fate that their own father would have willing thrown them into. The Dark Lord had fallen, with her own father dying soon after, and at last the Higurashi family was allowed the chance to carve their own destiny.

But now, if Lord Voldemort were truly alive, it would all be for naught. He would strike them low, killing each and every one of them, if the call was not heeded.

The strange pink magic erupted forth, surprising many, as Kagome screamed once again. And then, as it slowly faded back into her body, she lay in the grass crying, her pain gone, knowing that she would have to stand in her father’s stead. For if she did not, she knew Souta’s life could be at risk.

And she would  _not_  allow her little brother to die.

“Poor girl,” someone muttered. “Must be the shock.”


	29. Brother

**Ravenclaw**

“What house do you think he’ll be in?”

Her face flushed, as she ceased her overly excited fidgeting in her seat. “Oh,” she looked up at Luna Lovegood, “I’m not quite sure, but I’m pretty  _positive_  that it won’t be Ravenclaw.”

Luna blinked at her, as she asked, “And why do you think  _that_?”

“Well,” Higurashi Kagome said, “he’s never really been too interested in studying. All he ever did in primary school was follow around this teacher that had become his hero from day one.”

“ _Hm_.” Luna rocked back and forth in her seat, as she gazed upon the younger Higurashi stuck underneath the Sorting Hat. “I think he’d make an excellent Gryffindor, don’t you?”

Kagome smiled, saying, “Actually, you know what, he  _would_ make an excellent—”

“ _GRYFFINDOR!_ ” the Sorting Hat cried.

Blinking, Kagome turned to the other Ravenclaw, asking, “How did you—?”

“Oh,” Luna sighed happily, “I didn’t.”


	30. Dust

**Miko – The special edition chapter**

“Salazar!” Godric Gryffindor quickly sheathed his sword, as he raced to his old friend’s side. His wand remained firm in his other hand, pointed toward the grotesque creature towering over them. “No  _dying_ , Salazar, you understand!”

Salazar Slytherin merely smirked through the pain, as he felt the blood pour from the wound on his side. “I wouldn’t be dying so quickly if you’d chosen to learn a useful spell or two,” he told him.

Godric merely huffed, noticing that Rowena had quickly drawn the creature’s attention to herself. Her spells were cast swiftly, one after another, even as she took another step away from the monstrous beast. “What in the bloody hell is that thing?” he wondered aloud.

Helga Hufflepuff rushed toward them, her wand in hand.

“Ah, Helga,” Salazar chuckled, “just who I wanted to see.”

The woman only huffed at his tone, before beginning to seal his wound. “Yes, well,” she frowned deeply, “this wouldn’t happen every time if we just put up the protection spells like I suggested, now would it?”

“Ah,” Godric grinned, “but we are  _more_  than capable of protecting our students, Helga!”

“Yes,” Helga frowned at him, as well, “and more likely to get yourself  _killed_ , too! That thing, wherever it came from, is nearly resistant to magic entirely! How are you going to protect anyone from  _that_ , Godric?”

Rowena Ravenclaw let out a cry, as she was smacked away from the creature. Her body hit the ground with a loud thump, and though she was quick to turn, casting another spell or two, the creature was upon her in mere seconds. Rowena screamed, knowing her time had come, and made an attempt to cover her face from the assault.

“ _Rowena!_ ” Godric pulled his sword once more, knowing it had the most effect on the beast.

“You won’t make it!” Helga cried.

They were all equally startled, however, when another blade sliced easily through the creature from behind. Smoke billowed from the sudden wound, as the creature screeched and took another swipe at Rowena. The swing did not connect, however, as the creature suddenly burned to dust with an odd, pink fire.

Coughing, Rowena glanced up when the dust settled around her. “Who—” her eyes widened at the sight of the girl standing just beyond where the creature had stood, “—are  _you_?”

The girl’s eyes, so old and contradicting to her appearance, narrowed slightly at the woman’s strict, demanding tone. “I really do  _hate_  you wizards and your,” she paused for a moment, “ _mooggle_  distraction spells.”

Godric grinned brightly, as he gazed upon the young woman. “A Gryffindor if I’d ever saw one!” he suddenly boasted. “What do you think, Salazar?”

“ _Tsk_.” Salazar cast the girl a quick glance, before saying, “She is most definitely too powerful to be a Gryffindor. A Slytherin, if I  _ever saw one_.”

“Who  _are_  you?” Rowena demanded once more.

“My name is Higurashi Kagome,” she finally sighed. She  _really_  hated the fact that no one took her seriously from her appearance. “And I suggest you clip the tone, lady, since not only did I just save you from becoming that demon’s breakfast, but I’m much older than you.”

The Hogwarts Founders could only blink in surprise, knowing that it was  _not_  impossible for the girl to be telling the truth. She had, after all, displayed some type of magic. And her appearance suggested that she was from a distant country, which meant that she could know an entirely different form of magic to dwindle the aging process.

“ _Um_ , miss,” Helga called out, “I’m certain that we would all be in agreement when I ask that you join us for lunch. You did, as you pointed out, just save our dear Rowena. Possibly our entire school.”

Her eyes shifted to the castle behind them, as she asked, “Your  _school_?”

“Ah, yes!” Godric nodded with pride. “Welcome, Ka- _gu_ -mah, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”

Even Rowena flinched at his horrible pronunciation of the young woman’s name.

“ _Well_ , I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Kagome said. She never really cared for witches and wizards whenever she came across them, but she  _was_  interested in the fact that these four had founded an entire school to teach them. If they succeeded where so many had failed, she would no longer have to deal with those who did not know how to control it as the magic burst forth wildly.

The Shikon Miko could only hope.


	31. Yule

**Hufflepuff**

“Uh, would you like to,  _uh_ , that is,” Neville Longbottom scratched the back of his neck out of embarrassment. His face flushed, as the pretty little Hufflepuff turned her bright blue eyes up toward him. His smile slackened, as he muttered, “ _Uh_ , nevermind.”

Higurashi Kagome blinked, as she asked, “Are you trying to ask me to dance?”

“Only if,” Neville gulped, “if you  _want_  to.”

The Hufflepuff gazed up at him for a moment, before her smile turned vibrant. Her hand reached out for his, and she quickly melded her fingers between his digits, as she pulled herself from her seat in a dazzling swirl of her deep blue robe. “I would  _love_  to!” she chirped.

Neville stumbled after her, grinning. He had been rather down when his own date, Ginny Weasley, had been whisked away by a Beauxbatons boy that quickly stole all her time with nothing more than a wayward smile. Yet it appeared, as the Hufflepuff fourth year twirled and spun herself into his arms, that it had not turned out all that bad.

However, as quickly as it began, it was over, leaving Neville to shuffle his feet about nervously. He had never  _really_  talked to the Hufflepuff, despite having classes with her now and then, and had only decided to ask her to dance when he noticed that she seemed just as alone as he had been.

“Yes?” Kagome asked. The Gryffindor boy looked like he wanted to ask her something, but had quickly turned his head away out of embarrassment.

“ _Well_ ,” Neville did not want to offend the girl, “I was just wondering, did you come here by  _yourself_?”

She pouted a little, as she said, “No,  _not_  really. But, my date seemed more interested in chasing after a bunch of Durmstrang girls who noticed that he didn’t seem to have two left feet.”

Neville chuckled at the similarity, as he said, “ _Funny_.”

“ _Hn_ ,” Kagome blinked curiously. Then, slowly, her own smile returned, as she replied, “Yes, I suppose it is pretty funny.”


	32. Beg

**Slytherin**

“ _Anyone_  could do  _that_ ,” Draco Malfoy sneered.

Pansy Parkinson snorted out of amusement, as she noticed the Slytherin Prince take a step toward the Hippogriff. However, her snort quickly turned into a snarl, when she noticed that Higurashi Kagome grabbed onto Draco’s sleeve as if she  _had the right_.

“ _Uh_ , Draco,” the other Slytherin flushed, “you heard what Professor Hagrid said. Hippogriffs are prideful creatures, and, well I  _really_  want to try riding Buckbeak!”

Pansy bristled at her audacity. Angrily, she spat, “Who do you  _think_  you are? If Drakie-poo wants to ride the damn Hippogriff, then he shouldn’t have to wait for someone like  _you_  to go first!”

The girl seemed to ignore Pansy all together, fueling her anger, as she gazed up into Draco’s cool gray eyes. “Oh,  _please_ ,” she pouted. She knew that it probably had little effect on the Slytherin Prince, but she honestly hoped that he would let her try before he did something  _really_  stupid. “Please, please,  _please_  let me try, Draco!”

Draco felt his own face color, as the girl pressed herself unknowingly into his arm. Her big blue eyes cradled him, tempted him, and he swallowed heavily the moment he nodded almost dumbly. “ _Uh_ , sure,” he muttered, “just  _let go_ , will you?”

Higurashi Kagome released him suddenly, as she bowed. Then, her smile bright once more, she chirped, “Sorry!”

Pansy growled, nearly ripping the seam of her dress, as she watched the other Slytherin skip happily toward the Hippogriff at a chance to ride the majestic creature.


	33. Detention

**Gryffindor**

“This is all  _your_  fault,” she hissed, glaring at the Slytherin git.

“It’s not  _my_  fault you were wandering the halls after dark,” he snarled back, returning her glare wholeheartedly. He did not know  _how_ , exactly, the Gryffindor girl had ended up landing herself detention with them, but he did know that it sure as hell was  _not_  his fault.

Harry Potter glanced between the two of them, blinking curiously. If he did not know any better, and, truthfully, he did  _not_ , considering this was Draco Malfoy and Higurashi Kagome, he would have said that the two of them had known each other at some point in time before Hogwarts.

“Of  _course_  it’s your fault!” Kagome snapped. “You’re  _always_  getting me in trouble.”

“Oh,” Draco spat back, “don’t go on about  _that_  again!”

Harry was pretty positive the two of them had forgotten he existed.

Higurashi Kagome threw her hands into the air, before she took another glance into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. “I  _cannot_  believe that I am related to  _you_ , of all people!” she huffed.

“Only  _distantly_ ,” Draco sneered. “It’s not my fault that someone in the Black family thought it a  _prefect_ opportunity to marry into the  _noble_  Higurashi family. You’re all a bunch of filthy blood traitors.”

“If you’re trying to make me angry,” she twitched visibly, as her voice trailed off. Then, suddenly, she turned, her pitch-black wand pointed in the direction of her distant cousin. “Let me inform you of this, Drakie, it’s  _working_!”

Draco’s face flushed somewhat, as he sputtered, “D-don’t call me t- _that_ , y-you—!”

“ _Ah_ , how precious!” Kagome cooed a little, making certain that she had drilled in her mockery as deep as it could go. “Lil’ Drakie is  _scwared_  of the big, bad—!”

“What was  _that_?” Harry asked suddenly. He noticed that even Kagome’s head had snapped in the direction of the sound, as she quieted immediately. And, though he felt the need to roll his eyes at the action, that Draco took the opportunity to sneer once more at the preoccupied Gryffindor.

“It sounded close,” Kagome mumbled.

“Scared are you now,  _Ka-go-me_?” Draco mocked.

“ _Psh_.” Kagome did not have any qualms about rolling her eyes at the childish actions, as she said, “You  _wish_.”

Harry frowned, as, once more, they seemed to forget that he existed.


	34. Ditch

**Ravenclaw**

“Oh dear!” Professor Trelawney blinked owlishly, as the young Ravenclaw girl began to bleed heavily from her nose. She shuffled toward her, hearing her release a small whimper, and began to closely examine the amount of blood spilling forth. “You see, class,  _this_  is what Ms. Higurashi’s cup was trying to tell us! Misfortune has befallen her once again!”

Oh  _dear_  lord, just—!

Professor Trelawney turned to her once more, saying, “Run along, dear, to the hospital wing. I’m certain that Madam Pomfrey will have something for this tragedy that has befallen you. But, do be  _careful_ , for I sense that a cloud of darkness follows wherever—!”

Her books suddenly in hand, Higurashi Kagome scurried away from the Divination classroom as quickly as she could. She cursed herself time and again inside her head, as her nose continued to steadily leak throughout the short journey.

This was the  _worst_  idea she had  _ever_  had!

Her mother was going to  _kill_  her once she figured out that she had been using Nosebleed Nougat’s to skip out on her least favorite class.


	35. Fallen

**Gryffindor**

“ _Morsmodre_.” Her hand quivered lightly, as she closed her eyes and allowed the spell to become substantial. It was there now, in the sky, but she quickly turned her hooded face away from the sight once her name was called in the distance. However, even without looking upon the Dark Mark high above her head, she felt sick.

It was  _so_ wrong.

She had fallen in too deep now, she knew, and there was no turning back. The Ministry could do little against the army that the Dark Lord had acquired, and it appeared that the Death Eater régime would soon topple that last remaining seed of resistance. The Dark Lord would win, no matter the amount of blood paid.

“You’re awfully  _pale_ , Higurashi.”

Glancing up, Higurashi Kagome scowled at the sight of Narcissa standing nearby. Her grip immediately tightened on her wand, but it quickly turned lax when she realized that the other woman looked somewhat concerned. A weak laugh escaped her at the notion that a Slytherin could come to care for a Gryffindor once both were turned Death Eater. “Black,” she mumbled.

Narcissa frowned, as she said, “It’s  _Malfoy_  now.”

“Ah, yes, I had forgotten,” Kagome replied lightly. “I’m certain that I also forgot to congratulate you, but,  _honestly_ , I don’t see the point when your husband is Lucius. He always was a pig-headed  _git_.”

“ _Indeed_ ,” Narcissa snorted.

Her tired eyes caught her former rival’s, as she asked, “Is there a reason that you are here, Narcissa? Have you come,  _perhaps_ , to tell me who it is that our Master wishes for me to murder next?”

Narcissa flinched a little, though it was barely noticed. Her eyes flickered toward the other Death Eater’s stationed nearby, as she replied quietly, “ _No_. I have not come with that news, unfortunately.”

“Then  _what_  could you possibly want?”

“I have come to tell you that our Lord wishes for your audience,” Narcissa said. She knew, watching the Gryffindor turned Death Eater, that what she had to say next would hurt the woman deep. “He said that you should go immediately, otherwise the boy—”

“I will go at once.” There was no need for her to finish.

“O-of course,” Narcissa nodded.

Once again, as she prepared herself for Apparition, she felt heavy with sickness. It was  _so_  wrong, knowing that upon learning what was at stake, she fell easily beneath the Dark Lord’s demands. Knowing that she did not have the strength to save herself or her brother from this fate.


	36. Shift

**Slytherin**

Her feet moved swiftly, as a thick snarl escaped from her mouth. With a simple twirl, she knocked another Death Eater off his feet, and received another set of surprised glances from the lot. It appeared that a Hogwarts student in Slytherin robes seemed to make them hesitate, if only for a moment, and she took every opportunity to disable or strike them down as they flooded deeper into the school’s walls.

“ _Ahhh!_ ”

Her robes swirling around her feet, she turned toward the sound with her wand at the ready. “ _Harry Potter_ ,” she whispered, allowing her wand to lower slightly at the sight of the Gryffindor boy. Then, her eyes widened when she heard the deep, resonating hiss that escaped the large snake slithering in his direction from behind.

There was no hesitation or thought, as her feet began to move in his direction.

“ _Kagome!_ ” Though she was not quite sure who had yelled in her name in surprise, she suspected that it had been Professor McGonagall. The woman had personally sent her to the dungeons, after all, when she demanded the right to help protect Hogwarts from the invasion.

“Harry, look out!” she yelled.

Harry Potter turned slightly at the sound of his name, though his attention was quickly pulled away when his wand rose once more to halt the assault of the Elder Wand. However, despite the distraction of Lord Voldemort, he snapped his head back when he heard the sudden clicking upon the stone floor.

The overly large fox skid to a halt at his back, snarling at the snake.

He had recognized Higurashi Kagome’s voice, having had several classes with her in the past, but he had not expected— “Kagome,” he said, “you’re an animagus!”

The fox girl snarled in response, lunging at the hissing snake.


	37. Skirt

**Hufflepuff**

The pretty Hufflepuff girl pointed to another ingredient, saying, “And then you have to crush the bezoar in the mortar until it’s a fine powder, okay?” Her blue eyes flicked in his direction, before she added, “I’ll add the four measures after you’re done.”

The Slytherin boy nodded.

Higurashi Kagome glanced away in satisfaction, before she lifted herself away from her seat to reach the root she would need to start cutting. There was no reason to be lazy, even if the step was a little later, and it always helped to have everything prepared early when it came to potion making. “Until then, I’ll just—”

Her back stiffening, the Hufflepuff turned quite suddenly toward Blaise Zabini. She had suspected that the Slytherin had an ulterior when he had asked her to be his partner for the assignment. Her brow twitched, noticing the silence that seemed to overcome the classroom with her sudden movement, before she lifted her lip into a snarl.

“Miss Higurashi, I suggest that you  _sit down_ ,” Professor Snape said, leaning into the cauldron that the pair shared for the day. “Your potion is beginning to—”

“ _You!_ ” she hissed suddenly.

Professor Snape seemed almost surprised that she had completely ignored him.

Blaise merely smiled back, asking, “ _Yes?_ ”

“How  _dare_  you!” she shouted. Her hand connected with his cheek immediately, leaving a nasty red mark behind. Then, huffing in her anger, she snarled, “If I  _ever_  catch you with your hand up my skirt again, I’ll  _hurt_  you, Zabini!”

Her seat tipped over in her flight, as she suddenly stormed from the classroom without another word. The Hufflepuff students remained quiet, merely glancing toward the door, though several of them shot the Slytherin half the room quick glares when Professor Snape went to follow the angry fourth year.

Draco Malfoy turned slightly in his seat, and smirked at the look that had settled on Blaise’s face. “Satisfied, are you?” he asked quietly.

Blaise merely waggled his eyebrows, saying, “She  _definitely_  wants me.”

Even Pansy snorted in response.


	38. Fancy

**Ravenclaw**

“You seemed to have lost this,” Viktor Krum smirked slightly, as he handed over the hat that had flown away from the girl. “Ve vouldn’t vant a pretty girl like you to be vithout her hat, now vould ve?”

Higurashi Kagome felt her face flush, as she shook her head.

With that said, Viktor Krum dipped his head and steered his Firebolt away from the girl. He quickly flew back into the swing of the game, chasing after his fellow Seeker in an attempt to find the Snitch that eluded them both.

“He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”

“ _Mum!_ ” Kagome looked away in embarrassment.

Her eyes twinkling, the elder Higurashi patted her Ravenclaw daughter lightly on the shoulder. Her smile was a knowing one, gentle and kind, while she tried to coax her child into looking at her once more. “Oh, Kagome,” she sighed, “it’s a very special thing to be young and in love.”

“I’m  _not_  in love with Viktor Krum!” Kagome was not entirely certain how her face could get any darker in color, but she was positive it was her mother’s mission to make her as red as possible.

Her brother snickered lightly.

“Oh, don’t even  _start_ , Souta,” she hissed at him.

“Don’t be so embarrassed, Kagome,” her mother sighed. “There’s very little chance that you’ll see him again, anyway, so you might as well treasure the moment that you happened to have with him.”

She frowned a bit more, mumbling, “I’m  _not_  in love with Viktor Krum.”

“Of course not, dear,” her mother smiled. “You just  _fancy_  him a bit.”


	39. Quidditch

**Hufflepuff**

**One**

“Bloody hell, do you see  _that_?” Ronald Weasley exclaimed, pointing down into the Quidditch pitch. His eyes were filled with excitement, as, even from the distance, he recognized the broomstick that the newest Hufflepuff player, Higurashi Kagome, held loosely at her side. “That’s a Thunderbolt!”

Harry Potter blinked, asking, “That’s the newest broom, right?”

Hermione Granger sighed, though she seemed mildly interested. She knew for a fact that the Higurashi family was old, nearly as ancient as the noble house of Black, and certainly had the galleons to obtain the newest broomstick. Though, she had been a little surprised when the girl was introduced as Cedric Diggory’s stand-in Seeker while the other Hufflepuff was sick.

Ron nodded, smiling, as he said, “It beats out the Firebolt by a good  _four_   _seconds_  in speed.”

“Oh, four seconds?” Hermione asked. “That does sound  _impressive_.”

“Well,” Ron frowned, “that’s  _not_  all that it has, Hermione! They say that it’s much easier to handle, especially at high altitudes,  _and_  if pushed hard enough, it has the potential to hit nearly two-hundred miles an hour.”

Harry blinked, asking, “So, it’s like having a Nimbus 2001 instead of the Nimbus 2000?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Ron sighed happily. “They come from the same ‘bolt line, so that’s a good way to put it.”

“I doubt Malfoy’s broom will be able to keep up with  _that_ ,” Harry smiled at his friend.

Ron laughed, as he said, “That git won’t know what happened when that girl comes away with the Snitch faster than anyone here has probably seen! I’m tellin’ ya, mate, this game will be over in  _seconds_!”

“I  _highly_  doubt it’ll be mere seconds, Ronald,” Hermione replied.

* * *

**Two**

Smiling brightly, Higurashi Kagome reached out for the hand of her fellow Seeker. She was excited, having loved playing Quidditch with her father when she was younger, and shook Draco Malfoy’s hand  _maybe_  a little too enthusiastically. “Good luck!” she chirped.

Draco gave her a slightly slanted look of curiosity. He, certainly, had  _not_  expected her to be so happy about shaking his hand. Though, as he took another glance at her polished broom, he wondered if,  _perhaps_ , she was mocking him in her own, silent way.

“I hope the best for you!”

Then again, she  _was_  a Hufflepuff.

“Good luck,” Draco replied, frowning.

“All right!” Madam Hooch called, “Mount your brooms, and remember, I want this to be a good, clean game!”

Draco watched, mounting his own broom, as the Hufflepuff seeker merely placed one foot onto the bipod attached to her broom. She lifted immediately, slowly, before her leg swung over the other side the broom and she shot off quick enough that he could not see much more than a blur.

Once in the air, Kagome adjusted her goggles over her eyes and waited for Madam Hooch to call the game to begin. She fidgeted slightly, and waved when she heard another Hufflepuff tell her that she needed to calm down before she fell off her broom. Her laughter soon followed, as she heard the whistle, and shifted her broom with ease toward the area where Draco Malfoy had shot off.

* * *

**Three**

She spiraled downward, the wind biting into her, before she managed to right her broom once more. Her shoulder stung, having barely escaped the direct blow from the Bludger, and she huffed at the realization that the Slytherin Beater had probably knocked the stupid thing in her direction on purpose.

“ _Jerk_ ,” she sighed. She really wished that that conduct could be considered foul play, but, unfortunately, it appeared that Madam Hooch was going to let it slide. After all, it really was  _not_  against the rules to smack a Bludger toward the opposing team.

Her Thunderbolt shifted underneath her, as she regained her balance with relative ease. Her enchanted goggles easily caught sight of Draco Malfoy, seemingly as upset as she felt, at the fact that he had lost sight of the Snitch they had been chasing before the Bludger had come barreling toward them.

The golden glint out of the corner of her eye caught her attention suddenly, and she did not hesitate to turn her broom to chase it. The Snitch was a sly little thing, after all, and capable of staying just out of her reach and tricking Seekers alike, as it flittered about in the sky.

“It looks like the Hufflepuff Seeker has caught sight of the Snitch  _again_!”

The announcement caught the attention of Draco, though it appeared that the Thunderbolt rider would catch the tiny golden sphere before he managed to catch her on his outdated broomstick. Her hand was already reaching out, her fingers just shy of the Snitch, before it shot up and away from her hand.

Kagome pushed on the bipod underneath her feet hard, pulling the handle toward her, and easily tipped her broom up into the sky after the devious, enchanted ball. The sudden change in direction had given Draco enough time to catch her, but she remained ahead of him, her hand once again reaching for the golden orb.

And then, time seemed to stand still, as her fingers closed around the object.

Smiling, the Hufflepuff Seeker shifted her broom, surprising the Slytherin Seeker, as she shot by him and lifted the Golden Snitch for all to see. The Hufflepuff section cheered loudly, excited to know that—

“Higurashi Kagome has caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins the game!”

* * *

**Four**

The Hufflepuff Quidditch team crowded around her, each and every one wanting to hold the glorious little orb that she had snatched out of thin air. They laughed together, congratulating her on making Hufflepuff proud, and were proud to have chosen her to be Cedric Diggory’s temporary replacement.

“Now, if we could just get Cedric a Thunderbolt,” a Chaser laughed, “we’d win every game!”

“Well,” another said, “I doubt that you’ll manage to convince Kagome out of hers, so we’ll just have to ask everyone for a little donation so we can get him one!”

“ _As if!_ ” The Hufflepuff Captain was a little more realistic, saying, “You wouldn’t be able to collect enough money from the entire house to purchase one of those beauties.”

Higurashi Kagome smiled, as she said, “I wouldn’t mind letting Cedric borrow my broom, so long as he doesn’t break it. My mother was very proud to see me finally earn this model, and I wouldn’t want her galleons to go to waste.”

The rest of the team hummed in excitement, as someone replied, “Well, Cedric’s not likely to do that, of course! I think the only time I’ve seen a broomstick broken with Madam Hooch around was when the Dementors knocked Harry Potter off of his in his third year.”

Kagome’s eyes glittered happily, as she chirped, “I guess Cedric and I will just have to make a deal then.”

The rest of the Hufflepuff team hummed with excitement at the girl’s offer. It was likely that they could still lose a game, but with the girl’s Thunderbolt in Cedric’s hands, they were positive that they had a much better chance of winning the Quidditch Cup that year.


	40. Sheep

**Gryffindor**

Bellatrix Black straightened, blinking rapidly, as she asked, “ _Excuse me?_ ”

The Gryffindor girl never lowered her wand, despite the rule against using magic in the corridors outside of class, she stared down the Slytherin across from her. “You think that just because you’re from the Black family,” she said tightly, “that you can do  _whatever_  you want, Bellatrix. That you’re  _oh_ ,  _so_  much better than every one else; that the rules don’t apply to  _you_. But, you’re just—you’re  _just_ —!”

“Just  _what_?” Bellatrix smiled a bit oddly, as she added, “Go on,  _say it_.”

“—you’re just a foul, evil little—!” Higurashi Kagome grit her teeth, trying to find the words that would express how much she currently  _despised_  the Black. It was one thing to harass and make fun of her, Kagome, but it was  _another_  to act so cruelly toward the Higurashi’s younger brother.

“Oh, aren’t you so  _cute_!”

Kagome faltered, as Bellatrix Black suddenly sauntered her way to her and gripped tight to her arm. She nearly dropped her wand, staring up at the taller girl, and felt her eyes widen at the twisted smile that the Black was gifting her with.

“You’re my new Lion Friend now, you understand?” Bellatrix laughed.

“W- _what_?” Kagome sputtered.

“No one has  _ever_  stood up to me like that!” Bellatrix said cheerfully. “Every is so afraid of the Black family, but  _you_  were quick to use that silver tongue of yours no matter how many hexes I might have thrown in your face. You’re so willing to fight for what you want, no matter the cost, that I simply don’t know  _how_  you’re not in Slytherin!”

The Gryffindor mouth and closed her mouth rather stupidly.

“But,” Bellatrix sighed, as she began to pull the Gryffindor girl down the corridor with her, “they do say that we’re two sides of the same coin, so, I  _suppose_  that the Sorting Hat could have been correct in putting you in Gryffindor. You are a little hard headed, after all.”

“ _Hey!_ ” Kagome growled, pulling herself from the Slytherin’s grasp. “I am  _not_  your friend, do  _you_  understand?”

Bellatrix merely skipped a little ways away, grinning. She ignored the way the Gryffindor lifted her wand once more, as she said, “Oh, but you  _are_  my friend now, Kagome! Forever and for always, whether you like it or  _not_! I’ll show you all the  _good things_  about being a Slytherin, I promise!”

As the Black laughed, Kagome felt her face flush. H-had she just  _hit_  on her?


	41. Heir

**Slytherin**

Her lip tipped downward, as she took a glance at the Slytherin boy that had chosen to sit at the other end of the couch beside her. However, she did not let it bother her too much, as she leaned her head into her hand and continued to watch a group of third year students play Exploding Snaps nearby. They, at least, did not seem bothered by the current events taking place within the castle as they tossed galleons back and forth during bets.

“What?” the boy frowned deeply. “No  _hello_?”

Rolling her eyes at the question, she said, “I was unaware we were  _friends_ , Theodore.”

Theodore Nott straightened a bit, as he brushed lightly at his crinkled robes. His frown continued to mar his features, as he said, “You’ve been doing  _that_  quite a bit, did you know?”

“ _Hn?_ ”

“Sitting quietly and thinking,” he replied immediately. “I don’t think anyone has really noticed yet, but I thought that I would let you know that it’s starting to become rather obvious. With how open you usually are, people might start to get the impression that you’re the Heir to Slytherin.”

She snorted, saying, “As if.”

The other Slytherin finally leaned back into the plush couch. His gaze became rather guarded, as he, too, began to quietly watch the game of Exploding Snaps taking place. “If not  _you_ ,” he said quietly, “who could it be? Harry Potter, perhaps? Everyone seems to think so.”

“I don’t believe so,” Higurashi Kagome sighed. She took a quick glance at the solemn boy sitting quietly next to her, before a slight smile touched her mouth. It had become an old habit for the two of them to seek each other out, confessing any and every thought. It was a defense mechanism, she supposed, to keep them separate from the others in Slytherin who sought to pull them into the life of bullying any and all they saw fit.

“I suppose you’re right,” Theodore nodded. “It’d be too  _convenient,_ wouldn’t it?”

“The Boy-Who-Lived the Heir to Slytherin?” she muttered. There was a touch of laughter in her voice. “And a Gryffindor to boot? It all just sounds ridiculous to me.”

“He  _is_  a Parseltongue, though. Every one was there when he commanded that snake to attack that Hufflepuff kid.”

“Did he?” Kagome frowned deeper. “I don’t know about  _you_ , but I certainly  _don’t_  speak Parseltongue. Which student here does, besides Harry Potter? Who’s to say that he  _really_  commanded that snake to strike?”

Theodore nodded in response.

“And then there’s that equally ridiculous rumor,” the Higurashi girl snorted, “that Draco Malfoy is the Heir to Slytherin.”

A smile happened upon Theodore’s face for a moment. His cool colored eyes flickered toward the Slytherin girl when she stood, stretching her hands above her head, and finally gifted him with a sideways look. “Do tell?” he chuckled.

“Draco Malfoy?” Kagome laughed. “That boy is a stuck up prat that does every little thing that his daddy tells him to do. If he were the Heir to Slytherin, he’d have probably told half the school by now that his family name would go down in history as the greatest ever known. And, not only that, but I’m sure his dear father would have forced him to begin this mission  _last year_.”

As she walked away, gifting him with a slight wave good night, Theodore shook his head out of amusement. His smile quickly returned to a frown, however, once she had disappeared into a winding passage. “I don’t believe Draco is the Heir, either,” he muttered to himself, “but I’m still not quite sure about  _you_ , Higurashi.”


	42. Grey

**Ravenclaw**

“This item is  _precious_  to you?”

Nodding her head rapidly, Higurashi Kagome continued to stare up at the pale ghost gazing down upon her. Her stern face had always off set her everlasting beauty, but Kagome had never really allowed it to bother her, considering she knew that the Grey Lady had once been the daughter to Rowena Ravenclaw.

“And you wish for it returned safely?” the Grey Lady asked.

“If it’s not too much to ask,” Kagome replied. “My father gave it to me when I was very young, and I fear that a Slytherin might have decided to play a joke on me by taking it. It could be anywhere!”

“Hn.” The ghost continued to stare down at the pleading Ravenclaw student for a moment, before she finally dipped her head in acceptance. “I will aid you in finding this necklace, Ravenclaw. If need be, I will recruit the assistance of the other ghosts until it is found.”

“Oh, thank you!” Kagome smiled happily. “Thank you  _so_  much!”

“A necklace with a small, pink jewel attached, yes?” The Grey Lady nodded in satisfaction when the girl nodded excitedly, glad to have someone to help her find the one thing she had lost. “I will find you once it is found.”

The Ravenclaw girl nearly did a little dance in the corridor, as the ghost turned away from her suddenly and glided through a nearby wall. However, her excitement died after a moment, when she realized— “ _Oh no_ , am I late for Transfiguration class?!”


	43. Fire

**Gryffindor**

_Puurrr~_

A smile crossed her face, as she lovingly stroked her hand across the back of her cat familiar. The feline was being overly affectionate tonight, and she could do little but indulge the cat knowing that the feline would leave her once it deemed her unworthy in stroking its fur. “You’re such a silly cat, Aiko,” she chuckled.

“ _Mew_ ,” the cat purred back.

The Gryffindor girl glanced up when another set of robes brushed along her leg, before another Gryffindor plopped himself onto the opposite end of the couch. She scowled lightly, noticing that he saluted her with a wink, before settling back into the plush cushion. “Potter,” she greeted him.

James Potter stretched a bit, as a smile played on his lips. His feet rested neatly on the table, and his hands clasped behind his head after a few moments. “Higurashi,” he replied.

Higurashi Kagome quickly decided that it was best to ignore the well-known prankster. After all, there was little doubt that the rest of his little gang would soon be along and ruin her quiet time before the fireplace. And, knowing that Sirius Black would be among them, she really had no desire to even be within his presence.

Aiko yawned, butting her head against the girl’s hand.

“Ah,” she cooed. “I know, Aiko. You’re the prettiest kitty that there is, aren’t you?”

A light snore interrupted her musing.

Frowning, Kagome glanced once more in the direction of the Gryffindor boy. It was clear to her that he had relaxed rather quickly, sliding into a more comfortable position, and her frown softened at the sight. He appeared to be asleep; though it was difficult to see his eyes from the way the fire was flickering in his glasses.

He looked somewhat  _cute_.

A small noise escaped the girl, as she slapped her cheek suddenly to stop herself from blushing at the ridiculous notion. Then, hoisting her cat familiar into her arms, she stood and started to walk away from the stupid boy sleeping in the middle of the common room. “Come on, Aiko,” she muttered, while mentally explaining to herself that she was  _not_  a voyeur.

His head rolled back to watch her journey up the stairs toward the girl’s sleeping quarters, James smiled mischievously. “Huh,” he said, “maybe you’re right, Padfoot. Maybe she  _does_  like me.”

Sirius Black’s head popped out of seemingly nowhere, as he appeared from underneath the invisibility cloak. “I  _told_  you,” he laughed. “Sometimes, mate, you just have to take me  _seriously_.”


	44. Blush

**Hufflepuff**

“You’re a beautiful woman, Higurashi- _san_ , did you know?”

A pretty blush stained her cheeks, as the Slytherin boy kissed the back of her hand. The Hufflepuff glanced away from him quickly, knowing that the other students lazing about Hogsmeade were beginning to whisper frantically amongst themselves at his declaration. “ _Um_ ,” she whispered, “t-that’s very nice of you, Riddle-san.”

Smiling somewhat, Tom Riddle tugged the tiny Hufflepuff into his side. His eyes were guarded while trained upon her, as he said, “Allow me to treat you to a butterbeer, Higurashi- _san_.”

The formality sounding so odd upon his tongue, Higurashi Kagome giggled slightly. She knew that many of the British students merely gave her an odd look whenever she chose to include her foreign language, and she found it rather endearing that he took it upon himself to learn such. “I would really prefer if you continued to use my first name, Riddle-san,” she informed him. “Higurashi-san makes me feel  _so_  old.”

“Then I must insist that you call me by my given name, as well,” the boy replied smoothly. Inwardly he cringed at the notion, hating the vile muggle name that his mother decided to bestow upon him, but he found it necessary if he wished to gain the tiny Hufflepuff’s favor.

The smile she gifted him with was pretty, as she flushed a bit more. “Ah,” she muttered, “but Tom- _san_  sounds a bit awkward, does it not? Perhaps Riddle-kun?”

“I am afraid I’m not familiar with  _that_  suffix,” he said. “However, if you feel that it is too awkward to use one with my name, I would not be adverse to you merely dropping it from my name entirely.”

Her blush stretched a little further, as she shook her head lightly. “I’m not entirely certain how my mother would react to me addressing anyone with such familiarity.”

Tom blinked, before he said, “I’m certain that she would understand that such familiarity is not required here in Europe. While in Rome, as they say.”

“Maybe you’re right,” her smile turned brilliant, as she added, “Tom.”

As he held the door open to the Three Broomsticks, Tom Riddle watched the transfer student with a well-hidden and malicious smirk.


	45. Manor

**Malfoy Manor**

**Vampire – The special edition chapter**

The room was silent, as the Dark Lord gazed down the long and ornate table at his fellow Death Eaters. His fingers curled, calling forth the shadow at his back, and felt her cold presence when she finally stepped to his side. “This, my  _dear_ ,” he told her, “is Charity Burbage. She teaches Muggle Studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

The other Death Eaters gazed curiously at the girl beside him. It was not long before Bellatrix Lestrange, as faithful as she was, felt the need to call the Dark Lord’s attention to her in favor of the small woman. “My Lord,” she asked, “might I ask  _who_  our new  _friend_  is?”

“This, Bellatrix,” he motioned to the girl, “is Higurashi Kagome. She is very  _special_  to me.”

The girl in question dipped her head.

“Oh, yes,” Bellatrix nodded, “of course, My Lord.”

Lord Voldemort chose to ignore the woman, as he once more turned to the girl at his side. Her dark, glazed eyes were trained upon the woman hanging above the table not far away, and he smirked at the way her tongue lightly caressed her lip. She had been beneath the Imperius Curse for far too long, he knew, and it was time to give her a bit of a treat. “She,” he motioned to Charity, “says that wizards must accept mudbloods for their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of purebloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance.”

The atmosphere grew tense once more, as Death Eaters alike sneered.

“She would have us all mate with  _muggles_ ,” he finished.

The suspended witch allowed another tear to streak down her face, as she glanced toward the man seated nearby. “Severus,” she called him softly. “Severus,  _please_ , we’re friends.”

Lord Voldemort smirked, as he said, “I believe it is time you were given a snack, my dear. Please, feel free to feed at your leisure.”

“ _Mmm_.” Higurashi Kagome moved from the Dark Lord’s side, her instinct calling upon her, as she easily hopped onto the tabletop. It had been  _too_  long, and while she had often disagreed with the Dark Lord’s methods, she was pleased that he kept her well fed within these darkened times. Her nose twitched lightly, causing her eyes to turn red with lust, as she took in the smell and sound of the blood pumping throughout the room around her.

Draco Malfoy flinched as she stepped near him.

Halting for a moment, the woman glanced down at the Malfoy boy. She recognized his father well, having once attempted to eat the man when he was just a boy himself, and she allowed a soft smile to cross her lips. “Are you  _afraid_ , boy?”

“ _Stay away from my son_ ,” Narcissa hissed low beneath her breath. Her eyes flickered toward the Dark Lord, as Lucius cast her a heated glance, but she refused to allow this  _thing_  to toy with her only child. For there was little doubt, if the ruby colored orbs were any indication, that this girl was anything  _but_.

“Hm,” the girl snorted.

They all knew what the girl was, as she finally returned to striding toward her little  _snack_. The ruby colored eyes were enough, and every Death Eater felt the cold atmosphere that her mere presence brought upon them. It was obvious, though none were willing to mutter the soft, accursed word of the creature that fed upon muggle and wizard alike as if they were nothing more than food.

A strangled cry escaped Charity, as she pleaded, “Severus…  _please_ , oh god.”

“ _Don’t worry_.” Finally the girl spoke, her voice alluring and soft, and it became clear how so many fell victim to the creature without so much as a whimper. For her voice alone was like that of a siren, enchanting the room around her with ease. “It’ll only hurt for a  _moment_.”

The Muggle Studies professor screamed, as the girl snatched her from her suspended position and snapped her head back. Her screams echoed throughout the Malfoy Manor, casting away the silence within the halls, while the girl sank her sharpened fangs deep into her flesh.

Blood dribbling onto the table, Higurashi Kagome greedily sucked from the woman’s body. Her instinct drove her forth, wanting every last drop within the woman’s thin corpse, and she could not stop the thick moan that escaped her from filling her belly so happily. “ _Nnnghhh_.”

Many looked away from the sight, sick to their stomach.

“ _Dinner, Nagini_ ,” Lord Voldemort called to his snake.

Another moment later, and Kagome dropped the woman’s limp body onto the table. A smirk played upon her lips, knowing that her Master’s snake would happily clean up the mess she had made, and she began to lazily lick at her lips and fingers.

“Kagome is, as I am sure many of you are now aware,” the Dark Lord stated, “a vampire beneath my service. But, fret not, my friends, for she will not feed upon you unless you have done something  _truly_  angers me.”

The silence afterward was deafening.


	46. Kiss

**Ravenclaw**

“Is there something I can help you two with?” Higurashi Kagome asked, blinking out of curiosity. The  _last_  thing she had expected to encounter on her way up to Ravenclaw tower were the Weasley twins. Though, she supposed that the two Gryffindor students  _could_  be attempting to set up some type of prank for her fellow Ravenclaw to fall into.

“Ah, George, do you suppose—”

“—that we should indulge the little lady?” Fred finished, smiling.

George Weasley merely smiled back at his brother, before his gaze fell onto the tiny Ravenclaw glancing between them both suspiciously. “Ah, but I suppose,” he sighed, “that we’ll  _have_  to.”

“Well, yes,  _of course_ ,” Fred nodded. “It wouldn’t do any good not to include the little lady in something such as  _this_.”

Kagome bristled, taking a step back. “Whatever it  _is_  that you two are up to,” she told them, “I  _won’t_  have any part in it, you understand? You can keep your pranks to yourself, since I’m pretty sure that karma is going to come around and bite you both in the arse. And I’m  _not_  going to be there when that happens.”

“Oh dear, Gred,” George laughed, “I think the little lady thinks we’re here to dump water on her or something. That certainly—”

“—won’t do any good,” Fred shook his head. “No, no it  _won’t_ , Forge.”

Her eyes widening, the Ravenclaw took another step back when they suddenly took one toward her with mischievous smiles plastered upon their lips. Her back hit the wall, and she tensed, ready to draw her wand and threaten them both if she  _really_  had to. “D-don’t you come any closer!” she warned them.

“I think—”

“—that we’re scaring her,” the other twin finished. “Bit too strong on the advance, perhaps?”

Kagome gulped, as they leaned up against the wall on either side of her by the elbow. She was trapped. She knew it, and they knew it. However, the bigger problem was— “What do you  _want_  with me?” she hissed lowly.

“Now, now,  _Kitten_ ,” George purred, “no need for the claws.”

“We’re just here because,  _well_ ,” Fred leaned into her first, grinning, “we couldn’t help but notice that—”

“—you’re  _perfect_ ,” George said, leaning in from the other side.

“ _Ah!_ ” Kagome yelped, as suddenly one of the Gryffindor boys nipped at her neck. She flinched away from him, confused by the advance, and found herself beneath the assault of the other twin immediately. She gasped into his mouth, allowing his tongue entrance, and felt her face flush heavily from the four greedily roaming hands.

Fred’s tongue patterned across her neck, until George finally released her mouth with a loud pop. He was quick to replace his twin, tugging her chin in his direction and happily devouring her sweet little cavern. It was a glorious claim, turning her lips red from the assault, and he had little doubt that both sides of her neck would be peppered with tiny love bites by the time they were finished.

“ _Ahem_.”

Kagome pushed them away, blushing heavily, as her eyes settled onto her fellow Ravenclaw, Cho Chang. “I-I,” she stuttered, “I c-can explain!”

“Why hello, Cho,” George smirked.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Fred continued.

Cho Chang merely blinked, as the Weasley twins seemed to bury the other Ravenclaw student between them and into their robes. A somewhat half-smile appeared on her lips, as she said, “I just thought that you should know that  _isn’t_  a good place to be snogging. Professor Flitwick likes to patrol these halls a little before it’s bed time.”

“Oh, why thank you,” George smiled.

Fred’s face was just as bright, as he said, “We’ll be sure to move our activities  _elsewhere_.”

“Um,  _sure_ ,” Cho muttered.

Higurashi Kagome, however, could do little more than blush and allow herself to be pulled along down the corridor by the two boys. How she had gotten herself into this mess, she was not entirely certain, since she had done little more than ever acknowledge the twins in class. “W-where are w-we going?” she asked, thoroughly embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, Kitten—”

“—where we’re going doesn’t matter so much as how enjoyable it’ll be to do a bit more snogging.”


	47. Torn

**Slytherin**

The thunder shook her tiny home, before the lightning flashed outside through the downpour. Higurashi Kagome glanced up, however, when the knock resonated from the front door. Her book snapped shut, as she wondered who would want to visit her at such an odd hour in the night. “I wonder who that could be.”

“Hisa believes that it is Master Severus, miss.”

“ _Hn_.” She frowned lightly, as she looked down at her house elf. “Thank you, Hisa.”

“Would the miss like Hisa to retrieve Master Severus?” Hisa asked, pausing momentarily in her task. The teapot was poised, nearly spilling over into the cup awaiting the hot liquid, while the house elf stared up at her misses with large purple eyes.

“No, that’s quite all right, Hisa.” Kagome smiled a little, as she added, “You can take a break if you want. I’m certain that Severus will keep me rather occupied in the meantime.”

“Miss is too kind to Hisa,” the house elf exclaimed, bowing.

The witch took a moment to pat her house elf on the head, ruffling her overly large ears in the process. Then, after the delighted creature disappeared with a loud  _pop_ , Kagome shifted herself onto her feet. It would not do any good to leave Severus Snape out in the rain, especially since she was certain the man would manage his way through her enchanted door with ease.

However, as she pulled her wand from her robe, a deep frown creased her mouth at the sight of the door itself. He would be waiting for her just beyond, knowing that she would come to him. And while she had thought little of it back in her Slytherin days, it still hurt a little now and then.

With a sigh, she flicked her wand and allowed the door to swing open. It was best just to get it done and over with. “What are you doing  _here_?” she called out to him. “You know damn well that you shouldn’t be here when there’s a war going on out there. Especially since you’re— _Severus?_ ”

He enveloped her suddenly, his mouth seeking her warmth and finding it with ease. He was not surprised when she pushed him away, however, wiping lightly at her mouth as if he had violated her. “ _Kagome_ ,” he muttered, his voice cracked and broken.

Worry overtook her, noticing the shattered look in his eyes, and she began pulling at his robes for any sign of torture. “Severus, tell me what happened,” she said. She found nothing in her search, and was rather surprised when he pulled her back into his embrace. “Severus?”

“They’re  _dead_ ,” he cried. “They’re dead.”

Hidden away from the war by the Fidelius Charm herself, the once Slytherin girl clutched onto her former schoolmate. “Who?” she demanded, shaking him a bit. The fact that he had come to her specifically worried her, especially once she considered that he had been chosen as her Secret Keeper. “ _Who?_ ”

“ _Lily_.”

His whisper had been so quiet she almost did not hear him correctly. However, the look in his eyes was enough for her to know, and she pulled away from him as if he had burned her. Even to this day, despite everything that  _she_ , herself, did to stand beside him the best she could, he still pined over the Gryffindor girl. The tears began to rush forth, as she shook her head violently, covering her mouth with her hand.

In that moment, she knew  _exactly_  why he had shown his face on her doorstep.

“ _Lily_ ,” he whimpered.

She did not fight him when he grabbed onto her once more, holding her as if she was last thing that existed in the world. Tears began to cascade down her cheeks, as she whispered, “ _Oh god_.”

His mouth sought hers once more, attempting to drive away the pain in the same way that he did during their Slytherin days at Hogwarts. And while she knew that she should push him away and keep herself from feeling the same old pain, she knew that she could not deny him now. Not when his own pain was so deeply embedded in his heart.

The tears continued to spill down her cheeks, as once more she gave herself to the man she loved: Severus Snape, the man who could not love her back.


	48. Scatter

**Hufflepuff**

A loud yelp escaped her, as she found herself knocked down quite suddenly. Her books flew into the air with the impact, thumping against the stone floor, before she, too, found herself situated on the cold floor. Her dark blue eyes immediately glanced up, and she stiffened considerably when she realized that she had run straight into Draco Malfoy.

The Slytherin Prince stared down at her, sneering lightly.

Her face flushing, Higurashi Kagome bowed her head quickly. “I’m  _so_  sorry,” she said, reaching for a book nearby. Another one quickly followed behind the first, as she twisted herself into a better position to gather them all together. “So,  _so_  sorry,” she continued, “I wasn’t looking where I was going, and I’m probably going to be late for class anyway, so I don’t know why I was rushing. And, well, I didn’t mean to run into you,  _so_ —”

Oh  _god_ , she was rambling, and he was just  _standing_  there.

Her blush thickened, as the Hufflepuff found herself unable to shut her mouth. She apologized again and  _again_ , and she was surprised that he had not snapped at her for the annoyance that her voice was probably grating on his ears. But, if her voice was  _so_  annoying, as Pansy Parkinson was happy to point out time and again, why was—

Draco knelt, picking up the book near his foot.

“ _Eh_.” His action surprised her considerably, especially once he held the book out toward her. Her own hand reached for it, brushing along his, before she pulled it close to her chest. She stared at him dumbly, before she whispered, “U- _um_ , thank you.”

“ _Tsk_.” And then the moment was over, as the Slytherin Prince stood to full height and glared down upon her, adding, “Watch where you’re going, otherwise someone might decide to knock you down a flight of stairs to shut that big mouth of yours.”

Kagome twitched somewhat with rage, muttering, “ _Git_ ,” as he brushed by her and continued down the corridor.


	49. Subtle

**Slytherin**

Pansy Parkinson huffed, as she lightly flickered her eyes toward the end of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. A sneer worked its way onto her face for a moment, but she quickly wiped it away, nodding excitedly at something that Blaise Zabini said to the other Slytherin girl sitting at his side.

She swore, though, if that blasted transfer attempted something with  _her_  Drakie-poo, she was going to hex her into next week. Pansy Parkinson did  _not_  share. She did not care if the other girl was a Slytherin or not. Pansy did not trust the half-veela girl as far as she could throw her; especially once she considered how many other women she had had to threaten away from Draco Malfoy due to his money and status.

If the girl wanted to continue playing nice with Blaise Zabini, that was perfectly fine in Pansy’s opinion. The Slytherin boy would never truly be part of her little group of friends, despite his blood status, since he had made the foolish mistake of insulting her when they first began Hogwarts. And,  _besides_ , Pansy knew damn well that Blaise was only interested in the half-veela because she was pretty on the eyes.

But Draco—Pansy twisted the edge of her skirt, smiling forcibly as Blaise glanced in her direction knowingly. Draco had no reason to even consider being the girl’s friend, other than the fact that she could easily seduce the entire school out of sheer fun; as was the topic of conversation. She was  _not_  really all that pretty. She was  _not_  all that smart. She had no wealth or high status or—!

“You know what would just be  _bloody brilliant_ ,” Blaise smirked, “if you went over there and taught Gryffindor a lesson. Can’t you just imagine it? All those high and mighty lions suddenly trying to hide what’s going on in their trousers.”

“ _No_ ,” Draco said, smirking in reply, “I believe it would be much better to watch those stuck up know-it-all Ravenclaw scurry about in frustration. Just think about all those bookworms suddenly trying to figure out how to cure the  _illness_.”

Higurashi Kagome merely blushed, muttering, “Oh no, I couldn’t. My mother would not approve of me doing anything like  _that_.”

Blaise threw an arm around her shoulder, and waggled his eyebrows lightly when he caught her attention completely. “Come on, Kagome,” his voice was suave and convincing, “what your mother doesn’t know won’t hurt her. It’s just a little prank, is all.”

“It’s not like you’re doing it in order to sleep with them all,” Pansy finally spoke up.

“I  _suppose_.” The other Slytherin girl glanced in the direction of the other house tables, wondering if she could get away with such a thing underneath the gaze of each and every Professor. Though, it  _was_  like Pansy said: she was  _not_  doing it to sleep with them, so what harm was there? “I guess I could try.”

“That’s my girl!” Blaise cheered, smiling.

Pansy merely smiled tightly, glad that the blasted little half-veela was finally going to remove herself from the presence of her Drakie-poo. “Good luck.” Her somewhat happy tone quickly deteriorated, however, when the half-veela easily caused a handful of nearby Ravenclaw boys to stiffen and sputter with a mere flick of her hair. “ _Bitch_.”

“Is there something  _wrong_ , Pansy?” Blaise asked.

Not believing his innocent act, Pansy covered herself by saying, “Oh, no! What more fun is there than watching Kagome cause a bunch of idiots to fall all over themselves!”


	50. Foresight

**Gryffindor**

**One**

Luna Lovegood leaned into the crystal ball once more, attempting to see something that would be worthy of the unseen. Her large, unblinking eyes stared and stared, before she finally giggled and turned to her Gryffindor partner. “Divination is such an interesting subject,” she said, “and,  _yet_ , it appears that Professor Trelawney is right.”

“Right about what, Luna?” Higurashi Kagome asked, curious.

“I do not have the gift of  _foresight_ ,” Luna stated matter-of-factly. “It’s only a minor discovery, though I had suspected such. Not many are gifted with such power that they can defy the fabric of time itself and see the future.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Luna,” the Gryffindor girl smiled. “I think you’d be pretty good at it if you continued to try.”

The Ravenclaw blinked lightly at her, before she smiled brightly. “Oh no,” she sighed dreamily, “I don’t believe so. People like you and Professor Trelawney are very hard to come by. It’s a gift that you have to be born with, not something that you can merely learn in a classroom. Reading tealeaves and predicting the future is simple, but actual  _foresight_  is something you are blessed with.”

Kagome flushed somewhat under the Ravenclaw’s smile.

“Tell me, Kagome,” Luna asked suddenly, “what is it that  _you_  see in the ball?”

Used to the attention, the Gryffindor merely shifted on her plush pillow and gazed deeply into the crystal ball sitting innocently on the table. “Oh,” she leaned her head into her hand, “I don’t know.” The mist shifted somewhat, splitting down the middle, and she felt the usual drowsiness and drooped her eyelids as the light flashed in her gaze. “It’s so  _bright_.”

Professor Trelawney paused in her lecture toward another student, watching her favorite student lean into her crystal ball suddenly. “Oh my,” she muttered.

“ _Who is that?_ ” Her voice was distant, broken, as the future began to open up before her eyes. “ _Is that me?_ ”

Luna stared, fascinated.

Cradling the ball between her hands, Kagome sighed with pleasure when she realized that her future looked beautiful. It was colorful and bright, swirling around her and filling her with the happiness that her future self seemed to possess. And then,  _oh then_ , a smile touched her face when she watched herself turn with a smile and leaned up to accept the light caress of lips that she was rewarded with.

Floating in her slight delirium, the Gryffindor girl felt herself subconsciously pull the veil on the vision she was gifted with. Her curiosity was great,  _wanting_ , and she wanted to know the name and face of the person that could make her future feel so amazing. And, while it was slow, she glanced up finally when the future finally decided to show her, her future with—

_Draco Malfoy?!?_

Luna flinched, as her Gryffindor partner suddenly flung the crystal ball away from her with a shriek. She reached out for her, watching the girl come back to herself with wild, frantic eyes. “Kagome?” she asked lightly. “Are you all right?”

“Professor Trelawney!” Kagome nearly yelled, panting heavily. “Professor Trelawney, tell me that it’s  _not_  true!”

Professor Trelawney blinked owlishly, as she said simply, “The gift of  _foresight_  shows us what will be, Kagome. It is not the same as a prediction, for there are not two sides to the coin. I’m sure that whatever you saw is not truly so horrible that—!”

“ _NO!_ ” Higurashi Kagome yelled, and quickly ran from the classroom.

* * *

**Two**

There was  _no_  possible way!

Higurashi Kagome shook her head violently, as she stormed further away from the Divination tower. Her blue eyes closed in anger, as she attempted to rid herself of the horrible sight of her lips anywhere near that Slytherin  _prat_. The mere thought of it was  _ridiculous_!

The crystal ball  _had_  to be lying to her!

“Malfoy?” she muttered angrily. “ _Malfoy?_ ”

The only time she had even had a somewhat pleasant experience with the self-proclaimed Slytherin Prince was when she first met him. His attention had been solely focused on Harry Potter, making every attempt to cut him down and make fun of him. And then, in an instant, after she chose to step forward and tell him exactly what she thought of his attitude, he made it his life’s mission to make her existence a nightmare.

Therefore, there was absolutely  _no_  possible way for the future she saw to hold true!

“Two sides of a coin,” she said, nodding to herself. “Maybe what I saw  _wasn’t_  the future, so there would still be the second side. The side where I—!  _Ofh!_ ”

Having instinctively grabbed onto the object that forced her sudden stop, the Gryffindor girl glanced up after she regained her footing. Her eyes immediately narrowed upon noticing the green tint to the robes within her hand, and she snatched her hand back as if she had been burned. And then, looking a bit higher— “ _Malfoy!_ ”

It seemed that fate itself  _hated_  her.

The Slytherin prefect sneered down at her, saying, “What are you doing wandering the halls, Higurashi? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I don’t think Professor Trelawney is too upset about me having to use the washroom, Malfoy,” she hissed. The lie came to her easily, knowing that the fifth year student could easily give her detention if he found out she had fled her classroom without Professor Trelawney’s permission. “I am her  _favorite_  student, after all.”

“Oh,  _yes_ ,” he snorted, “the little Divination  _specialist_.”

Her face flushed with anger, as she glared at him.

“ _But_ ,” Draco Malfoy smirked, “I was unaware that anyone would need to come quite this far to use the washroom, Higurashi. From the Divination tower, no less. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re  _lying_  to me.”

The Gryffindor girl took a step back, though she knew that he had caught her. Professor Trelawney may have pleaded her case, but unfortunately she  _had_  wandered a bit too far from the Divination tower for that excuse to be liable. “And,” she snapped, “what’s your  _point_?”

“My  _point_ ,” he replied, “is that you now have detention. Professor McGonagall will just  _love_  to hear about how you not only were skipping Divination class, but tried to lie your way out of it.”

She hissed, attempting to snatch her hand back when he grabbed onto her wrist to begin hauling her toward the Transfiguration floor. “Let me go!” she shouted into the empty corridor. “Let me go! I can walk there by  _myself_ , thank you very much!”

The Slytherin boy merely glanced down at her from over his nose. His sneer returned to his face full heartedly, as she began digging her feet in and trying to stop him from pulling her along. “If you try to run away,” he threw down her wrist, “I’ll inform Professor McGonagall and make sure you have detention with Professor Snape for the rest of the school year.”

“Yes,  _your highness_ ,” she spat.

* * *

**Three**

“What do you think of Professor Firenze, Kagome?” Luna Lovegood sighed dreamily, looking up toward the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall. “Isn’t it fascinating to have a centaur so knowledgeable about the movement of the planets and future? Professor Trelawney always talked about such minor subjects, but Professor Firenze has such a vast knowledge on the universe.”

The Gryffindor glanced at her Ravenclaw friend, as she replied, “Well, Professor Firenze  _has_  made the year pretty interesting so far. I still feel sorry for Professor Trelawney, though. Professor Umbridge  _really_  had no right to decide who could stay inside Hogwarts.”

Luna nodded sadly, saying, “Yes. Professor Trelawney was so very upset.”

“I’m glad that Professor Dumbledore allowed her to remain in Hogwarts.” Higurashi Kagome smiled mostly to herself, as she thought of the owl-like woman and her enormous spectacles. Quietly, she added, “I’m actually thinking about visiting her office sometime later this evening if I can convince Harry to let me borrow his invisibility cloak.”

Luna giggled in response, knowing that her Gryffindor friend was rather known for her recklessness. “But,” she reminded her, “wandering the halls at night is forbidden.”

The Gryffindor smiled in return, saying, “Ah, but it’s only forbidden if you’re  _caught_.”

“Another hobby of yours, Higurashi?”

Luna blinked, watching as Kagome stiffened considerably at the sound of the boy’s voice. She, however, smiled somewhat as she looked upon the Slytherin Prince standing nearby. “Hello, Malfoy, she said. “How have your prefect duties been? Padma has recently told me that she has had the unfortunate pleasure of having to find quite a few items taken by Nargles.”

Draco Malfoy did not so much as gift the Ravenclaw with an odd glance, as he sneered down at the Gryffindor seated next to her. “What’s the matter, Higurashi?” he asked. “Did Gryffindor finally realize that you’re a squib? Force you to sit at the Ravenclaw table?”

Her face flushing slightly, Kagome huffed at the Slytherin. Then, she snapped, “For your information,  _Malfoy_ , I was having a rather pleasant time with my friend before  _you_  came along.”

“Ah,  _yes_ , I’m certain that you were having a marvelous time with,” Draco paused for a moment, smirking darkly, “ _Loony_ , was it?”

“Her name is  _Luna_ ,” Kagome growled.

“No,” Draco replied. He shook his head lightly, and allowed himself a moment to look somewhat inquisitive on the subject. Then, he continued, “I do believe you’re mistaken, Higurashi. Her name is Loony from what I understand.”

The Gryffindor girl was suddenly on her feet, as she snarled, “You know  _damn_  well that her name is Luna, you insufferable prat!”

“Detention,” he stated simply.

“W- _what_?!”

“Tonight,” he continued after a moment, smirking wider, “at nine o’clock.”

“On  _what_  grounds?” Kagome spat. She could  _not_  believe the nerve of him!

“Insulting another student,” he replied. “A prefect, no less, in the Great Hall. Honestly, Higurashi, there are  _much_  better ways to get your point across than immediately insulting another person as if you’re  _better_  than them.”

Luna blinked curiously, as the Slytherin boy finally turned on his heel and walked away with the same smirk plastered across his lips. Then, turning her attention to Kagome, she said, “Did you know that some boys like to pick on and tease girls that they like?”

Kagome sputtered wildly, as she turned toward her Ravenclaw friend. The day in the Divination tower a few weeks prior immediately rushed back to her, and she felt her entire face turn white with the very thought. “No!” she gulped. “Just what are you trying to insinuate, Luna?!”

“Oh,” Luna turned her head, gazing off into the distance for a moment. A smile touched her face, as she finally said, “It’s nothing really. I merely heard the saying quite some time ago from Lavender, and thought that it might explain why he only chooses to torment you every day.”

“That is  _ridiculous,_ ” Kagome said.

Noticing the way the Gryffindor glanced away from her with that familiar glazed look in her eye, Luna smiled a little more. It was obvious that her friend had no desire to divulge in whatever she had seen in the moment she lifted the veil. So, she simply said, “Of course it is.”

* * *

**Four**

The Gryffindor girl spun rapidly on her foot, her eyes filled with venom. Her tangled mess that she called a hair-do swirled around her alongside her robe, as she began to growl surprisingly well. “And, to  _what_  do I owe the pleasure, Malfoy?” she asked.

Pansy Parkinson sneered, as she snapped, “Don’t  _you_  talk to him like that, half-blood! We’re not only prefects, but we’re  _also_  a part of Headmistress Umbridge’s Inquisitorial Squad! So, since we’re being ever so  _nice_  to you, you’re going to tell us a little bit about that Army you had all formed!”

“And  _what_  makes you think that I’ll tell you anything about  _that_ , Parkinson?” Kagome huffed.

“We’ve been given  _special_  permission by the Headmistress to bring anyone and everyone that was seen in the Room of Requirement for questioning. But,” Pansy snickered slightly, glancing at her counterpart, “if you do as I say, I don’t think there’ll be the need for us to hex you until you have to be dragged there. Do you understand, or am I speaking too fast for you?”

Draco blinked, glancing at his fellow Slytherin from the corner of his eye. While it was very slight, he recognized the difference in her tone and knew instantly that he did  _not_  like it. “Pansy,” he said, “Professor Umbridge will  _not_  be pleased if you bring in another student that needs to be sent to the Infirmary instead.”

The girl huffed slightly, pouting as she said, “But, Drakie- _poo_!”

“Don’t call me that,” he snapped back. His attention was immediately pulled away, however, when he noticed that the Gryffindor had returned her glare upon his person full force. A light smirk crossed his face upon noticing the red tint to her cheeks, but it quickly shook itself away when he spoke. “Now, Higurashi, while it would be my  _pleasure_  to carry you there—”

“Ah, how  _cute_ , you want to  _carry_  me?”

Pansy sneered at the Gryffindor girl’s audacity.

“—after making certain you’re immobile,” he nearly rolled his eyes at her childish head bob, “I’m certain that  _you_  wouldn’t wish to get Trelawney in anymore trouble, now would you?”

Kagome’s deep blue eyes narrowed.

“Dumbledore isn’t around to protect your  _favorite_  Professor anymore,” he reminded her. “Professor Umbridge absolutely hates her and her ridiculous claims that she has any form of  _foresight_ , and I’m certain that she is more than capable of removing her from the castle now that she is Headmistress. Would you  _really_  risk that because you refused to come  _quietly_?”

The Gryffindor moved suddenly, coming toe-to-toe with the Slytherin boy. Her head tilted back, allowing her to glare up into his gray eyes with the height difference. Her face flushed, she poked a straightened index finger into his chest firmly. Then, making sure to jab the finger again, she said, “Don’t you  _dare_  talk about Professor Trelawney that way.”

“You dirty little half-blood!” Pansy shrieked. Her wand was immediately in her hand, as she pointed it toward the other girl. “You have  _no_  right to touch Draco like that!”

The Higurashi girl was startled, however, when the Slytherin Prince reached up to twirl a strand of her hair between his fingers. His smirk was familiar, forcing her eyes to cloud slightly with  _foresight_ , but she quickly shook away the feeling of the inevitable. “Don’t touch me,” she growled, swiping his hand away.

Draco simply ignored her, smirking at the flush that colored her cheeks. If she had been a Slytherin, he  _may_  have admitted that she was rather pretty on the eyes. “Well,” he asked her, “would you?”

Pansy stiffened, confused and uncertain about the exchange between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Her wand lowered a little, as she angrily switched between the two of them with her eyes. The girl had always been off-limits, deemed as Draco’s personal person-to-torment, and only ever thoroughly riled up when the Malfoy heir was concerned. But, as far as she knew, Draco had  _never_  acted this way with the Gryffindor.

“Of course  _not_ ,” Kagome huffed. She looked away from him, knowing that  _this_  time he had won the battle. Professor Trelawney had been distraught when Professor Umbridge had attempted to remove her from Hogwarts, and she could only imagine how her mental state would handle being taken from her home. “Unlike you and your Slytherin brood, I’m not cruel.”

“Excellent,” Draco said, spinning on his foot. “This way then, Higurashi.”

Pansy stayed back for a moment, allowing her grip to tighten on her wand at the sight of the tiny Gryffindor falling into step behind the Malfoy heir. Her lip lifted into a snarl, displeased with the familiarity and disrespect that the Gryffindor showed at every turn. If she had anything to say about it, she  _would_  hex the girl the next time she—

“Pansy, are you  _coming_?” Draco called.

“Yes, of course!” she nodded.

* * *

**Five**

She took another step back, her eyes filled with fire, and bumped up against the wall. Her lip lifted out of sheer habit, while her face turned a lovely shade of red in her sudden anger. “I’m sure Professor Umbridge is extremely pleased with the fact that you find it in yourself to harass other students on a daily basis,” she spat.

His wand tipped to the side, knowing that she was trapped. It was forbidden to use magic outside of the classroom, and he doubted that the Gryffindor wanted another detention with the Headmistress. Not after the Blood Quill incident.

As he took another step forward, Kagome tried to push herself further into the wall. It would make her day if she somehow bumped into a forbidden passage, opening it with a stone on the wall behind her, but she  _knew_  that that was very unlikely. “I’ll hex you if you come any closer!” she warned him.

The Malfoy heir merely snorted, and said, “Empty threats won’t save you.”

Glaring at the Slytherin git, she merely replied, “Don’t you know about Educational Decree Number Thirty-Seven?” Her eyes flickered to his hidden hand, wondering what he was hiding in his pocket. “All boys must keep their hands in plain sight at all times.”

Draco Malfoy smirked slightly, pulling his other hand from his pocket. Then, taking another step forward so that he was toe-to-to with the Gryffindor girl, he placed it onto the wall at her back. “Is that  _better_  for you?” he asked.

The Higurashi girl allowed her eyes to widen at the action, realizing that there was barely any room between the two of them. Her face flushed a little more for other reasons, as she sputtered, “W-what are you  _doing_?”

Watching her glance away from him, Draco quickly placed his other hand near her face and forced her to look back up at him. He smirked darkly down at her, knowing that the tiny fourth year had little hope against his advance. “What is it  _you_  think I’m doing?” he finally asked her.

Her eyes clouded, lifting her into a familiar state of delirium underneath his stare, and she silently cursed her ability of  _foresight_. It was simply ridiculous! Her future could  _not_  revolve around the bloody Slytherin Prince that had, for some reason, decided to— “G-get away from m-me.”

He, however, did not move an inch.

Her vision distant, Kagome felt compelled beneath the harsh reality of the future. The future she remembered had been so comfortably warm and bright, unlike anything she would expect when it came to the Slytherin prat, and she could not deny that it had been a wonderful experience. “ _Draco_ ,” she whispered his name.

Draco’s eyes widened, as the Gryffindor girl pushed up against him. Her lips were gentle and soft, barely caressing his own, and he wondered for a moment if she was in the correct state of mind. “Higurashi?” he said just as quietly.

Snapped back to reality in an instant, Kagome turned an even darker shade of red. “I,  _uh_ , I,” she could not find the words. So, instead, letting out a tiny noise of distress, Kagome pushed heavily on the Slytherin boy and forced him away from her person. And while she wondered if he moved so easily because of shock or disgust, she quickly raced down the corridor and away from him.

The Malfoy heir frowned, watching her run, and allowed himself a moment to touch his violated mouth. He had felt a tiny spark of something, and he was not entirely certain if he could be concerned or not. “ _Tsk_.”

* * *

**Six**

Once again, she wanted to slam her head into the wood of the Gryffindor table. Her eyes flickered, glancing toward the Slytherin table across the way, and she was pleased to note that Draco Malfoy had yet to show his face amongst the masses. “This is so  _stupid_ ,” she muttered to herself. “Why did this happen to  _me_?”

Harry Potter glanced up, solemn, as he asked, “What happened with  _you_?”

Blinking lightly at the aggressive tone, Higurashi Kagome wondered once again what had happened to Harry Potter to make him suddenly become so forlorn and angry. She frowned lightly, as she snapped, “That’s really none of  _your_  business.” Then, turning her head away when Harry’s female friend, Hermione Granger, patted her shoulder, she added, “I was talking to  _myself_ , thank you very much. Not you.”

“Don’t take him so seriously, Kagome,” Hermione sighed. “He doesn’t mean it.”

Harry simply looked away, frowning deeply.

“ _Hmph_ ,” the fourth year huffed. Her hand reached out, taking hold of her goblet, and she brought it easily to her lips. Tipping the cool liquid back into her mouth, she found herself fascinated suddenly with the ripples within the dark liquid. Her eyes clouded over, visions flashing within the goblet, and she felt her face flush heavily.

“ _Eh?_ ” Ronald Weasley leaned into Hermione, asking, “What’s up with her?”

“Don’t you  _know_?” Hermione whispered back angrily. “Kagome has a  _true_  form of  _foresight_. She can see the future whenever it chooses to reveal itself to her. And, unlike Professor Trelawney, she doesn’t go around telling  _everyone_  about it.”

“Okay, okay,” Ron waved his hand in defense.

The table was surprised, however, when the Higurashi girl suddenly stood and threw her goblet against the wall behind her. The liquid splattered, bleeding down the stone, and attracted even the attention of the Professors sitting at the front of the Great Hall. Her entire body shook lightly, before she spun on her foot and stomped heavily away from the Gryffindor table.

Harry glanced up, watching her, and narrowed his eyes slightly when he realized that Draco Malfoy had chosen that moment to enter for dinner. The Slytherin git looked a bit worn, most likely from the fact that his father had been sent to Azkaban, but he paused when the Gryffindor girl neared him. He went to stand when Kagome stopped, staring at the Malfoy heir, but felt himself pushed back down by Hermione.

Staring, his eyes mere slits, he saw the way Kagome took a single step back and then made a run for it. She barely brushed up against the Slytherin boy, his shoulder moving with the shove, and then disappeared from sight in her flight.

Then, just as quickly as he appeared, Draco Malfoy disappeared out into the corridor once more. Most likely, as was Harry’s guess, to torment the Gryffindor girl’s mind to drive away the thought that his father would not be there to greet him once he stepped off the Hogwarts Express.

Hermione pursued her lips, saying, “There’s something  _odd_  going on between the two of them lately. I’ve noticed that he’s not really bothering her that much lately, and, I don’t know, but it’s almost like Kagome’s been  _trying_  to avoid him.”

“That girl  _trying_  to avoid Malfoy?” Ron laughed, despite the tension in the air. “Hermione, you’re  _crazy_! Kagome is the  _last_  person I would ever expect to avoid that git. She’d rather try to bite his head off.”

“No,” Harry mumbled. There was deep seeded venom in his voice, as he found himself upset with the belief that Hermione was right on this situation. “There  _is_  something odd going on between them.”

“Well, whatever it is,” Ron said, pushing his food around, “I’m pretty sure she’s still more likely to hex him. I mean hell, it’s not like she’s going to go around  _snogging_  that bloody bastard.”


	51. Annoyance

**Ravenclaw**

A deep frown marred her features, as she stared down at the  _pop quiz_  that had been settled onto the desk in front of her. Glancing behind her to take another look at the arrogant man, Higurashi Kagome decided that she did not appreciate Professor Lockhart in the  _slightest_. “Is this a  _joke_?” she mumbled to herself.

It shamed her to know that the man had been in Ravenclaw.

“Oh, come on!” another Ravenclaw girl whispered. “It’s all in good fun.”

Her frown deepened a bit at the other girl’s giggle, since it was obvious that nearly every Ravenclaw was completely obsessed with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher due to his achievements. If anyone were to ask  _her_ , she would probably tell them that she could not fathom how such a man had earned the Order of Merlin, Third Class, or any of his  _other_  outrageous awards.

Professor Gilderoy Lockhart paused at her desk, smiling charmingly when he noticed that she had yet to even produce a quill for herself. “Is there something the matter, Ms. Higurashi? I understand if you’re a bit overwhelmed with the quiz, as I have done many outstanding things, but I am positive that a Ravenclaw such as yourself can answer each and every question correctly.”

Twitching lightly, Kagome took a glance at the annoying man. “What does  _this_ ,” she asked, pointing to the parchment in her hand, “have to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts,  _Professor_?”

“Ms. Higurashi, it is merely the first day of class,” Professor Lockhart informed her with another smile. “I am merely attempting to learn more about my students.”

“Learn  _what_? How much we know about  _you_?” Kagome snapped.

“I do apologize if my fame has you bewildered and confused, Ms. Higurashi,” he sighed dramatically. “Take your time on the quiz. Though, if you were to ask nicely, I might give you a hint on a few of the questions.”

The Ravenclaw seated next to her giggled in delight, no doubt hoping that  _she_  could convince the man to help her with her quiz.

Kagome, however, merely glared heatedly at Professor Lockhart’s back once he decided to return to his desk with a fancy swish of his robes. Her distain was nearly pliable, as she came to the realization that she would  _rather_  lust after Professor Snape than the idiot that Professor Dumbledore had hired for this position.


	52. Moon

**Slytherin**

“Ah, welcome, Mr. Lupin,” Dumbledore smiled. His eyes sparkled a bit, as he took in the way the young Gryffindor boy fidgeted immediately underneath his attention. “We’ve been awaiting your arrival for quite some time now.”

“I’m sorry, Professor Dumbledore,” Remus Lupin said, scratching the back of his neck. “I got a little  _caught_  up is all.”

“Yes, I have heard that James Potter can be rather persuasive when he so chooses,” Dumbledore nodded, mostly to himself. His eyes shifted toward a nearby portrait, as the woman within began to giggle madly at his statement. “It is good to know that you have finally made some close friends in Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, though, I’m certain that you know that is not why I called you here today.”

Remus Lupin’s eyes flickered toward the other student when she stood from the seat situated in front of Dumbledore’s desk. He stiffened a bit, taking note that she was cloaked in Slytherin robes, and finally began to truly ponder what reason Dumbledore would have for bringing him to his office. “I had thought you called me because of my  _condition_ , sir,” he replied.

“Kagome,” Dumbledore addressed the young woman, “would you please.”

The Slytherin girl, Kagome, took another step forward. Her mouth was in a tight crease, as she said, “We are  _both_  here due to our  _condition_ , Remus Lupin.”

Remus allowed his eyes to widen, as he exclaimed, “Y-you’re a—!”

“Yes,” Dumbledore said. “Higurashi Kagome is a werewolf, just as you are, Remus.”

The Gryffindor boy felt frozen on the spot. It was not hard to see the fading marks that were etched into the girl’s neck by her attacker, but the shock quickly convinced him to deny that this Slytherin was just like  _him_. “ _How?_ ” he finally asked.

“I believe you are familiar with the werewolf Fenrir Greyback,” Dumbledore answered for her. “Ms. Higurashi here also had an unfortunate encounter with the wolf a few years back, and has made her home here at Hogwarts for the last three years. She was using the Forbidden Forest as her place of  _change_ , however, your presence has made that a bit of a danger for those residing in Hogsmeade.”

Remus began to understand, suddenly, as he looked into the girl’s tinted blue-gold eyes. “It’s because I decided to use the abandoned house there, isn’t it?” His eyes flashed with anger, as he snapped, “You told me that it was safe! You suggested the house in the first place!”

Dumbledore frowned slightly, though he nodded. “Unfortunately,” he continued, “while that would have been the perfect solution, it would seem that Ms. Higurashi wandered too close to the forest edge upon the last full moon. She, thankfully, did not attack anyone while in her were-state, but she did awaken near the house herself and grew concerned.”

“What are you suggesting then?” Remus growled.

Higurashi Kagome sighed, saying, “On the next full moon, you’ll have to show me how to get to your little  _shack_. It’s the safest place to house two wolves, and I won’t risk the chance that I attack someone living in Hogsmeade because you’re howling in search of others.”

The first year flinched underneath the Slytherin’s gaze, before he nodded. His anger faded a bit, knowing that she was correct, but even that did not mean that he had to  _enjoy_  the fact that he was going to be forced to room with a Slytherin once a month.

Dumbledore smiled once more, saying, “Excellent. And now that that is out of the way, would either of you care for some chocolate? I recently obtained the oddest batch of spiced chocolate from a muggle shop while on a trip to Switzerland.”

“Oh, I would, Professor!”

Remus was near taken aback at the bright smile that swept across the Slytherin wolf’s face. He had never really seen anything but a sneer plastered on a Slytherin’s face, and he could not help but notice that the third year girl was rather pretty. “I  _suppose_ ,” he said with a light blush.


	53. Daughter

**Gryffindor**

The girl’s blank stare was obvious, as she stood silently beside the Dark Lord. It was apparent that she had been taken from the Hogwarts Express, dressed and ready for the final length to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as she still sported her Gryffindor school robes. And while it appeared that she may be nothing more than a mudblood, each and every Death Eater began to feel anticipation as to  _why_  Lord Voldemort would bring such a child.

Draco Malfoy flinched at the sight of her, his eyes wide. He, too, did not understand the reasoning behind bringing the tiny Gryffindor into Malfoy Manor. And, while he had never interacted kindly or liked the girl, he hoped that the Dark Lord did not plan to  _murder_  her. Thus, his voice was quiet, barely heard, as he stated, “ _Kagome_.”

Lord Voldemort smiled, as he placed a single finger beneath the girl’s chin and tilted her face upward. “I am certain that many of you are wondering why I have brought this girl here with me today,” he began. “Just as I’m certain that many of you are unaware that this girl is my flesh and blood. My daughter; born just a month after my  _demise_.”

Lucius nearly shuddered at the thought, as he said, “My Lord, I had not been aware you were attempting to conceive a child of your own.”

“Ah,  _yes_ ,” Voldemort chuckled. “Do not fret upon it, Lucius, as  _none_  of you were aware of such. However, as you can see, my efforts were successful. Though, I was rather ashamed to find that her mother had raised her into a  _Gryffindor_ , of all things.”

“Are you  _certain_ , Master?” Bellatrix Lestrange asked, resisting the urge to sneer hauntingly at the small Gryffindor girl. It would do little anyway, as it was clear that the girl was being kept beneath the Imperius Curse. “That  _this_  girl is the—”

“Of course I am, Bellatrix,” the Dark Lord snapped. He watched, delighted, as his faithful servant flinched beneath his reprimand. “However, if the lot of you need more proof, then I will provide it, my  _friends_.” His attention was focused on the girl once more, as he said, “Show them, my darling. Show them you are one with my blood.”

The girl tipped her head slightly, before she suddenly began to speak in a language each and every one of them recognized. Her hissing was light, quiet even, but it became apparent that she did,  _indeed_ , know Parseltongue when the Dark Lord’s faithful snake, Nagini, began to return her conversation.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Voldemort was delighted once more, watching his  _child_  converse, even unwillingly, with Nagini so easily. His only regret was that her mother had kept her from the Dark Arts, kept her from  _herself_ , and allowed her to step into the Gryffindor brood. If he were able, he would torture and kill the woman once more for her audacity.

“This is  _wonderful_  news, My Lord,” another Death Eater called from the back.

“As you can see, however, my daughter is unaware of her own flesh and blood,” the Dark Lord sighed. “She has proven to be rather spirited, unwilling even, and I have been forced to place her underneath the Imperius Curse. Her efforts to fight me are in vain, of course, but I feel that her spirit must be broken in order for her to finally accept that her place is rightfully at my side.”

The air became tense, knowing that there was more to be said.

“Lucius, you will help me in this endeavor.”

“My Lord?” Lucius Malfoy asked, confused.

“As a reward for your son’s success on his quest,” Voldemort began to pet his hissing daughter’s head, “I have decided that upon my daughter acceptance her hand will be given to him. Your family will be redeemed, and tied to  _mine_  for all eternity. Does this  _please_  you, Lucius?”

Bellatrix brightened at the notion, as she exclaimed, “I am  _certain_  that my sister is delighted with the knowledge that you wish to bestow our family with such an honor, Master!”

“My Lord, such an  _honor_  cannot be expressed with words.” Lucius allowed his tired eyes to flicker toward his wife, noticing that Narcissa had drawn Draco into her embrace with the notion. The boy was stark white, unable to speak, and he frowned deeply at Draco’s weak nature. “I am sure I speak on behalf of my son when I say that this is a most unexpected and delightful occasion to look forward to.”

Narcissa hissed beneath her breath, her eyes narrowed.

“Your family has been faithful servants for all these years, Lucius,” Voldemort said. “But, know that I could have easily chosen anyone here with a son about Draco’s age. This  _is_  an honor being bestowed upon you, and I expect for you to act as such.”

“My Lord, I don’t understand. I  _am_  delighted to know that you wish for my son’s chance to treat your daughter with the respect she deserves.”

“Do not  _lie_  to me, Lucius,” he hissed in reply.

“Never, My Lord,” Lucius gulped. “ _Never_.”

The Dark Lord frowned somewhat, as he looked down upon his child. Then, a delighted smile crossing his lips, he said, “Kagome, if you would be a dear and do the honors.”

The Gryffindor girl did not hesitate, as she pulled a wand from her robes.

Lucius only had a moment to widen his eyes, before the girl mumbled, “ _Crucio_ ,” and the pain began.


	54. Question

**Ravenclaw**

The young Ravenclaw sighed, as she stared at the bronze knocker into the Ravenclaw common room. Of all the days for her to forget something, it  _had_  to be the day that she became stumped by the stupid door’s question. “ _Give me food and I will live; give me water, and I will die_ ,” she repeated to herself. After a moment, she sighed, “I hope whoever invented this door was killed.”

“Rowena Ravenclaw was not killed, but she  _did_  die from a fatal illness,” another voice sighed. “Many believe that it was caused by great heartbreak, though that,  _truly_ , is to be speculated, considering it is said that Rowena’s daughter only left her to further her own talents.”

Blushing somewhat, Higurashi Kagome turned on her foot. She took in the other Ravenclaw, knowing instantly that she was Luna Lovegood from the protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look upon her face. And the fact that she had  _The Quibbler_  tucked neatly beneath her arm, her father’s magazine, made her noticeable within the Ravenclaw house.

“If that makes you feel any better?” Luna continued.

“ _Oh_ ,” Kagome chuckled nervously. “I didn’t actually mean that I wanted it to  _actually_  happen to anyone. I’m just having a hard time, is all.”

“Oh?” Luna blinked, as she turned to the bronze knocker that protected the Ravenclaw common room. “Is the question challenging today?”

“I’m just having a brain fart,” Kagome sighed.

The other Ravenclaw only blinked curiously, as she tipped her head to one side. “Is that expression used often in the muggle world?” she asked. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it before.”

“ _Uh_ , I guess you could say so.”

Luna seemed to ignore her suddenly, as her permanent expression stared and stared at the bronze knocker. She then stepped forward, waiting for it to speak, and merely blinked as the voice began to flow forth. It was always a fascinating thing, and, if she were correct, she imagined that the other Ravenclaw needed to get into the common room as soon as possible.

“ _Give me food and I will live; give me water and I will die. What am I?_ ”

Luna laughed lightly, as she simply replied, “Fire.”

Kagome sighed happily, as the door to Ravenclaw tower opened to them both. “Thank you!” she said, smiling at her fellow Ravenclaw. “Thank you so much!”

“It was my pleasure,” Luna said, her voice distant and dreamy.


	55. Butterbeer

**Hufflepuff**

“ _Seriously_.”

Rolling her eyes at his obvious joke, Higurashi Kagome bumped her friend in the shoulder. “Oh, knock it off, Sirius,” she mumbled. “This is the first time we’ve even been here, it’s not like you know where everything is.”

“Of course I do!” the Gryffindor boy boasted. “My uncle used to bring me to Hogsmeade every summer. It is, after all, the only all-wizard village in Britain. And, you  _must_  know how the Black family is about blood purity and all that.”

Scoffing, the Hufflepuff girl said, “I’m surprised your father even signed the paper.”

“ _Tsk_.”

“Remind me again,” she sighed after a moment, “why you decided  _not_  to go with James?”

“Ah, come on!” Sirius Black wrapped a protective arm around the small Hufflepuff’s shoulders, pulling her close to his side. His smile was charming and bright, as she eyed him suspiciously from underneath her lashes. “Who  _wouldn’t_  want to go on the first third year trip to Hogsmeade with a pretty girl on their arm?”

Pushing him away, Kagome huffed, “Oh,  _yes_ , I’m certain it would just ruin your reputation with the ladies if you didn’t have a pretty girl to accompany for the day. Why don’t you just go find James and Remus? I’m  _certain_  that I’ll be more than fine on my own.”

“Oh, you  _wound_  me, fair maiden!” Sirius laughed. “Though, by your current attitude, I have a feeling that you would rather be here with someone  _else_. Tell me, who it is, Kagome?” He paused for a moment, before attempting to pry again. “Perhaps you’d rather be here with your seventh year friend, hm?  _Malfoy_ , I believe?”

“ _Ugh_ ,” Kagome made a face. “Don’t make me throw up.”

Sirius only laughed.

“Lucius Malfoy?” Her face twisted a bit more, as she added, “That boy is an absolute  _git_. I just can’t understand how  _anyone_  would have made him Head Boy, of all things.”

The Gryffindor patted her on the shoulder, saying, “You know I was only joking.”

“Oh, you  _had_  to be joking with that one,” she replied. “As if I would  _ever_  be friends with  _that_  Slytherin. It’s bad enough that Narcissa likes to hang around him all the time.” The tiny Hufflepuff halted in step, stopping her Gryffindor friend, as she suddenly said, “And you know  _what_ , I demand that you buy me a butterbeer for even suggesting such a thing!”

“Oh, of course,” Sirius waved his hands in defense, “of course.”

“Good!”

The young Black watched his Hufflepuff friend stomp away toward the Three Broomsticks, and allowed a secretive smile to cross his face when he felt someone poke him in the shoulder. He glanced back, finding no one there, and grinned at the blank space. “I’m tellin’ ya, James,” he said. “I’ll have her falling all over my feet by the time we’re going back to Hogwarts.”

The voice came from nowhere, replying, “You better hope so, Sirius, because I’m pretty positive that you’re gonna lose those twenty galleons.”


	56. Twisted

**Slytherin**

“You’ve proven yourself well.” The Slytherin Heir smiled that twisted little smile of his, as he stared down at the twitching form of his once fellow student. His dark eyes flashed, as he said, “I’m certain your father is proud of you for finally deciding to come into my ranks. Here, at least, you will know that you have stepped into the winning lot.”

Higurashi Kagome’s smile was cracked and broken, as she began to hate herself once more. Her quivering hand reached out for the hazy silhouette above her, as she imagined the charming boy that she had fallen in love with was standing there. Not this twisted man that wished to conquer the wizarding world through force, if need be. “ _Tom_ ,” she whispered.

The former Tom Riddle knelt, placing a finger across her chapped lips. “ _Shh_.”

“ _Tom_ ,” she continued, trying to reach him.

“Now, now,  _love_.” She was whispering that wretched name over and over, and the rising Dark Lord could only frown at the scene. It seemed that the hope had yet to be driven from her mind and soul. “You know that I deplore that awful name.”

Her fingers touched his jaw, and she merely said, “ _Tom_.”

“It is a shame that you have brought me to this,  _love_ ,” he sighed. His wand lifted once more, briefly skimming across the pale skin on her arm, before he pointed it directly at her heart. “ _Crucio_.”

Her body jerked in pain, though the scream did not quite make it from her tired throat.

“It is Lord Voldemort now,” he reminded her. It shamed him somewhat to know that his spell appeared less potent whenever cast upon her. The tiny witch did not deserve leniency. “It is best that you remember such, otherwise I will be forced to punish you once more. And, while I would so  _loathe_  to do thus, know that you  _are_  expendable if you prove too headstrong.”

Her eyes merely slipped closed, attempting to drive away his presence.

“You’re such a beautiful woman, Kagome,” he told her. “I would  _hate_  to lose your pretty face among my ranks.” He leaned into her slightly quivering form, and placed a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. Then, quietly, he breathed, “In my bed.”

“ _Tom_.”

The Dark Lord sighed, as he pressed his mouth to her lips in an attempt to drive away the ridiculous thought that she kept her in her head. He had forsaken the name long ago when he killed his muggle father. He loathed the fact that his mother had been so weak that she had fallen for a muggle who thought himself better than a witch. That she died in the process. Why could his fellow Slytherin not understand?

Her head merely tipped away from him, breaking the contact.

Running his wand along the side of her face, he chuckled somewhat. “Don’t be that way,  _love_.”

But, all she could reply was, “ _Tom_.”

Anger coursing through his veins, Lord Voldemort was in his feet with a single swish of his pristine robes. He sneered down at the tiny witch with disgust, as he snapped, “As it is clear that you’re still trapped in your silly belief that I will stop this war for  _you_ , I will leave you here for now. But, know this, if I find that you still house this belief when I return, I will  _kill_  you.”

Then he was gone.

A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, as she finally whispered, “ _Why?_ ”


	57. Firebolt

**Gryffindor**

“It’s so  _pretty_!”

“ _Uh_ , well.” Harry Potter scratched the back of his neck out of sheer habit, as the Gryffindor girl circled around him and his new broom. He was certain that the entire Gryffindor common room was abuzz with the knowledge that McGonagall had finally returned the Firebolt to him, but  _this_  attention was a bit much. “It is the latest model.”

Higurashi Kagome nearly squealed, as she examined the broomstick with a keen eye. “ _Ohhh_ ,” she sighed, “I wish my mother had the money to buy me that type of broom. To be able to go from zero to one hundred and fifty miles an hour in ten seconds must be absolutely  _amazing_.”

“Do you,  _um_ , that is,” Harry coughed. “Would you like to try it?”

“Would you  _really_  let me?” Her deep blue eyes were wide, questioning, as she took a step toward the Boy Who Lived. She absolutely, positively wanted a chance to ride his fancy broomstick. And, if he were willing to let her, she was  _not_  about to pass up the chance to try out the speed of the Firebolt.

“Sure!” Harry nodded. “I mean, I gotta get over to practice anyway, and I know that you come to watch every couple of sessions, so you could just ride with me. That is, if that’s okay with  _you_. I’m not trying to force you into anything or—!”

“I would  _love_  to!” she finally allowed herself a squeal.

“That’s  _great_.” Harry blushed lightly, as the Gryffindor girl nearly bounced around him while she waited for him to mount the Firebolt. It did not help any that she was a pretty girl, one that he had had a crush on for a while now. He really did want to make sure she had a memorable time on the broom, since he knew that it was quite expensive.

Almost immediately, Kagome slid into place behind him. Her arms wrapped tight around his waist, pressing herself into his back, as she sighed dreamily at the knowledge that she was actually going to get a chance to ride Harry’s broom. “I’m ready when you are,” she breathed into his ear, feeling her face flush with the proximity.

Harry’s face turned completely red.

“ _Harry_.”

The Firebolt shot off instantly.


	58. Direction

**Hufflepuff**

“So, I’m on the wrong floor?” she asked, sighing quietly. This  _really_  sucked.

“I’m afraid so, dear.” The woman in the painting continued to fan herself lightly, as she smiled at the distraught Hufflepuff. She smiled at her prince, before saying, “You’ll need to go down to the lower level. You might want to ask one of the portraits down there the correct directions, but I’m  _positive_  that it’s just down the corridor to your right.”

“I would be honored to help escort the young lady, if your ladyship will allow it,” the prince said simply. He kissed his lady’s hand, watching the pretty flush that crossed her face, and smiled lightly. “I would return within the hour.”

“Oh,  _no_ ,” the woman said. “That is certainly  _not_  the task of a prince!”

Higurashi Kagome waved her hand nervously, as she said, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure that I’ll find it, even if I’m turned around a few hundred times in the process.” She shifted her books, as she sighed, “Though, I’m pretty positive that Professor McGonagall  _really_  will turn me into a pocket watch this time. I just don’t know how I always get lost.”

“Oh, dear,” the woman smiled. “It may just be best for you to follow your fellow Hufflepuff students to your classroom on the morrow. I’m certain that one of them  _must_  know where the Transfiguration classroom is located.”

“Yeah,” the young Hufflepuff sighed. “You’re right. Thanks, by the way.”

“The pleasure is ours, young lady,” the prince replied.

“Do try to have a good day, dear,” the woman said.

Sighing once more, Kagome turned on her heel and began her search anew.


	59. Danger

**Ravenclaw**

Brandishing his wand toward the beast, he cast another stun toward the enraged dragon to steer it away from the fallen woman. His teeth grit together, being mindful of the dragon’s sweeping tail, as the reinforcement finally began to draw the dragon’s attention away from the crowded area. The dragon had refused to give up the area it had deemed its nest for quite some time, and it was a miracle that its heart had yet to stop from the mass amount of stuns striking it.

His robes swishing around him, he quickly made his way to the fallen woman. He still could not believe that a former Ravenclaw would prove to be so reckless. Especially when her recommendation had been so promising. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realized the reason why she had often joked about how she had  _not_  been placed in Gryffindor.

Dropping next to her side, Charlie Weasley immediately began to check how extensive the wound in her side was. He sighed almost instantly, noting that she had only been sideswiped and saved from being impaled upon the dragon’s spiked tail. So, choosing not to worry about the bruising for the moment, he wrapped his arm behind her neck, lifting her slightly into his arms, and shook her lightly. “Wake up,” he frowned, tapping her cheek. “Wake up, Kagome.”

The former Ravenclaw groaned, saying, “Stop that.”

Angered by her blatant disregard for her life, Charlie frowned deeply at her dust-covered face. “Do you even understand that you could have gotten yourself  _killed_  by attempting to take on an enraged dragon by yourself? A female about to lay her eggs, no less! You might be new at this, Kagome, but,  _damn it_ , I’m not doing to have anyone dying on my watch just because they think they’ve been doing this for years!”

“ _Ugh_ ,” she replied. “Too loud.”

He sighed after a moment, saying, “Kagome, you might be amazing at handling dragons, but you  _can’t_  keep doing this. It’s starting to look like you’ve got a death wish, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone decided to return you to Britain if you keep this up.”

Higurashi Kagome huffed lightly, allowing her non-swollen eye to open and look at the distraught man. He looked ready to have a heart attack, and, immediately, she felt pretty awful for making him worry. “There wasn’t any time,” she said. “If I hadn’t done something, the female would have attacked a couple of muggles who wandered too close without realizing.”

Charlie could only frown a little more.

“And, despite what  _you_  think, Charles,” she hissed, “I’m not going to let anyone get hurt on  _my_  watch.”

Charlie was rather surprised when the woman pushed away from him, brushing her robes off as she stood. She stopped for a moment, holding the bruising forming on her flesh, but then seemingly stormed away from him. He could only sigh, saying, “What am I doing to do with you?”


	60. Ruby

**Demon – Special edition chapter**

“And now— _Piertotum Locomotori_! Hogwarts is threatened! Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!” Professor McGonagall called to the suits of armor that had come to life with the spell. Her eyes were lit with pride, watching them march forth, as she turned to the woman at her side. “I’ve always wanted to use that spell.”

Her fanged mouth creasing into a smirk, Higurashi Kagome looked onward toward the barrier that the witches and wizards had managed to produce in such a short amount of time. “I will march ahead with them,” she said simply.

McGonagall finally frowned somewhat, as she replied, “You are no longer obligated under the Ministry of Magic to help us, Kagome. The Ministry has fallen, and is now controlled by Voldemort himself. Are you certain that you wish to risk your life?”

“You forget,” Kagome smirked a little more, “that I am ancient already. My life has been lived time and again, and certainly more so than that of you mortals. Besides, I am more or less immune to your type of magic. I doubt that they’ll know that, or have any counter for it.”

“Yes,” McGonagall agreed. “However, they  _must_  know that you are here in the school. The news that Hogwarts was receiving Kikyo as a transfer student was not just confined to the Ministry, nor was the information that she would have a special guardian to protect her should anyone attempt to take the jewel that she guards.”

Higurashi Kagome chuckled lightly, as she thought of the young Ravenclaw girl and her fancy little jewel. “Ah, yes,” she nodded. “The Shikon no Tama. I had almost forgotten that Kikyo was in possession of that useless bobble. Though, it is still amusing to know that you wizards believe it can still grant a single wish.”

Her wand held to her chest, McGonagall asked, “What is it that makes you believe that the Shikon no longer has the power to grant any wish that someone desires?”

“The wish was already used.” Her voice was distant and old, as she gazed out into the darkness of the night. After a moment, she continued, adding, “Long ago, in a distant past. The battle raged and when at last a victor rose, a wish was made. The Shikon that now hangs from Kikyo’s neck is a mere representation of what once was. A reminder that not everything is as it seems that has been handed down through Kikyo’s family over the years.”

“If it cannot grant a wish, why does the myth still exist?” McGonagall replied.

“Ah, but that is a tale for another time,” Kagome said simply. She took a single step forward, before she cast a glance over her shoulder. “You may want to take a step back for the moment.”

The Transfiguration Professor and now Headmistress could only watch in awe, her robes swirling around her, as suddenly the seemingly other woman began to change. Her eyes turned a stark ruby color, as her raw energy began to whip around her body visibly. The effect was immediate, the energy clouding her body from view, as it stretched and grew to an impossible height. And then, as quickly as the change had began, it ended.

A thick, resonating howl echoed into the night.

Minerva McGonagall covered her ears, stepping back, and allowed her eyes to widen. She had never witnessed the raw power of the demon walking through Hogwarts walls with the permission of the late Albus Dumbledore. And she knew that she never wished to witness it again. The magic was suffocating it was so raw, and she was forced to lean herself on the entrance to the main corridor.

The black dog burst forth with a single growl, and began to race toward the barrier now under the assault of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Her claws carved into the stone beneath her paws, and it took only a single leap to cross the bridge the animated suits of armor were guarding.

McGonagall gave a sudden sigh of relief, even as she wondered what was spilling from the dog demon’s gapping maw that was causing the ground to sizzle and melt in the distance. “Hogwarts thanks you, Kagome. We will forever be grateful.”

As if she had heard her, the dog released another howl the moment the barrier shattered.


	61. Foresight II Preview

#  **Foresight II**

#  **Gryffindor**

#  **One**

“Do you suppose that we’ll have Divination together again this year?” Luna Lovegood sighed happily at the thought. Her large eyes stared at her Gryffindor friend, waiting for an answer, and smiled slightly when she realized that the movement of the Hogwarts Express was once again causing her to drift into sleep. “Kagome?”

Blinking away the familiar warmth that filled her dreams throughout the summer, Higurashi Kagome frowned somewhat at Luna’s question. The drowsiness she associated with _foresight_ slowly began to fade the more she blinked. Her frown quickly turned to a scowl, however, when she realized that she was once again allowing herself to slip away into the bright future that was _ridiculous_ to begin with. “ _Hm_?” she asked.

“Do you think we’ll have Divination together this year?” Luna asked again. “I had heard that Professor Dumbledore is going to allow Professor Firenze to continue teaching a few classes this year alongside Professor Trelawney.”

“I’m certain we’ll be stuck together like always, Luna,” Kagome chuckled.

Luna merely stared back, before she finally nodded at the assumption. The Gryffindor girl did have a point, after all. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fifth year class had been together each and every year thus far, so it would make sense that the tradition would continue on until seventh year. “You’re probably right.”

Rubbing lightly at her eye, Kagome glanced out the window to the ever-changing landscape. Her mind was muddled and distant, as she once again tried to convince herself that her life did _not_ revolve around Draco Malfoy. The boy was an absolute _git_ , after all.

“You have that look on your face,” Luna stated matter-of-factly.

“ _Huh?_ ” Kagome asked. “What look?”

“That look you get whenever you’re thinking of Malfoy,” Luna said. She would never admit to her Gryffindor friend that that very look that once held so much venom had morphed into some type of longing. That whatever she was keeping to herself was slowly changing her point of view. “As if you want to strangle the life out of someone.”

Slightly red in the cheeks, Kagome huffed.

“What did you see last year in Professor Trelawney’s class, Kagome?”

Knowing the exact moment the Ravenclaw girl was talking about, Kagome turned her head back toward the window. “It was _nothing_ of importance.” And it was _not_ , she was certain. She would _not_ end up with Draco Malfoy, and if, on the off chance fate decided to play another trick on her, she most certainly would _not_ be happy if she did.

A sigh almost escaped the inquisitive Ravenclaw. She decided it best not push the subject, as she began to fiddle with the wand tucked neatly behind her ear. She would get the answer eventually. “Do you know why Professor Slughorn wanted you to meet him in his compartment?”

Smiling somewhat, Kagome replied, “You’re just full of questions today, aren’t you?”

Luna merely smiled back.

With a wave of her hand, the Gryffindor replied, “It’s _stupid_ , really. My mom was telling me all about it when she found out that Professor Dumbledore had decided to hire him back. Apparently he has something called the Slug Club, and he likes to gather a bunch of talented or well-known witches and wizards together so he can benefit from them when they’re out of Hogwarts.”

“ _Oh?_ ” Luna blinked several times at the knowledge.

“My dad was apparently in it when he was little,” Kagome chuckled. “My mom said he used to invite her to Professor Slughorn’s parties all the time once they got older and started dating. Said it was weirdest thing, since no one could understand why a Hufflepuff was dating a Slytherin.”

Her brow lifted somewhat, exaggerating her already surprised expression, as Luna asked, “Your father was a Slytherin?”

“Yeah,” Kagome blinked. “I never told you?” When her friend shook her head, she continued, saying, “My mom always says she’s surprised that I got put into Gryffindor so easily, but that my father would probably laugh and say it’s because Slytherin and Gryffindor are supposed to be two sides of the same coin. But, to be honest, I’m _really_ glad I wasn’t put in with that lousy bunch. I’d have to deal with people like _Malfoy_ all day.”

Luna could merely nod, wondering.

* * *

 

**Two**

Blinking rapidly, the young Gryffindor girl dropped her hand once she realized that Luna Lovegood had already walked quite a distance from her by the time she snapped out of her daze. A frown quickly marred her pretty features, as she released a short-tempered huff. “This is getting _absolutely_ ridiculous.”

Turning her back to the departing Ravenclaw, Kagome began her journey toward where she knew the carriages to be. It was only a short walk once off the Hogwarts Express, but the cooling September air bit into her flesh once she finally stepped from the steam engine. A light shiver crept along her skin, and immediately her vision split for a brief second.

Her head snapped to one side, and there he stood.

Draco Malfoy.

Except, there was something _odd_ this year. The Gryffindor could not say for certain, but she was positive that there was a slight limp in his step. His once pristine appearance looked worn down, as if someone had forgotten to cast an anti-wrinkle spell on his robe. And, as he neared, she could have sworn—

Was that _dirt_ on his cheek?

The shock lasted for only a moment or two, but it was enough for the sixth year Slytherin to bump her shoulder slightly when he walked by. She turned quickly with the harsh knock, putting on her best Gryffindor scowl, and decided that despite his obvious disheveled appearance, he was still in need of a good tongue-lashing. “You insufferable _git_!” she called after him.

He turned so suddenly that she was surprised his heel did not catch on fire.

Her next insult died in her mouth, as she felt her cheeks heat beneath his sudden stare. There was some type of fiery passion burning behind those gray orbs, and the Gryffindor girl was positive she had never witnessed anything quite like it. For a moment it was as if she was mesmerized, trapped within his gaze, and then, it was over.

The Malfoy boy merely turned and limped away.

Higurashi Kagome blinked rapidly, feeling several people push her forward slightly in an attempt to get to the awaiting carriages. Had she just experienced another vision of _foresight_ , or had Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, actually caused her heart to skip a single beat?

* * *

 

**Three**

Her head swiveled around once more, and a soft scowl marred her pretty features when she realized that Pansy Parkinson had _casually_ tossed another crumpled piece of paper at the back of her head. The Slytherin girl’s large smirk and giggling posse was enough to tell her that much. Her hand quickly turned into a fist, as she came to the conclusion that the library was not the best place to study at the moment.

Snapping her book shut, the fifth year Gryffindor shoved it into her bag and promptly stood from her seat. She sighed lightly at the look Madam Pince cast toward her at the noise, before making her way into the bookshelves. The quick-footed flight was second nature to her now, after five long years of staying just one step ahead of her Slytherin pursuer.

Pansy’s chair made a loud screeching sound when it was pushed back.

The Gryffindor quickly turned down her heel, dodging her way into the _E_ section between two young Hufflepuff students attempting to find an elusive book there. She gave them a quick smile, her feet nearly gliding across the library floor, and successfully ducked out of the section before Pansy and her posse checked it. She quickly glanced down the _D_ section to make certain Pansy had not stationed a girl there, before continuing her advance toward the library entrance.

Higurashi Kagome caught the eye of Hermione Granger on her way out, and smiled a little more when the other Gryffindor sniffled a giggle behind her book. There was little doubt, if the slam in the back of the library was any indication, that Pansy had made certain to check the back exit after their last game of cat and mouse. And from the fire behind Madam Pince’s eyes, she was _not_ pleased with the noise.

Quietly, she slipped out of the library.

Her mission, after all, had been successful, since she knew that Madam Pince would hunt down the Slytherin Princess and her posse. The witch detested such noise in _her_ library, and was as familiar with the game of cat and mouse as anyone.

Kagome sighed at the memory of the scowling woman giving her detention in her second year for _shuffling_ her feet in one of her first attempts at escaping another Slytherin in such a fashion. Her lip quickly turned downward, as her vision began to cloud slightly at the thought of _him_. She shook away the seemingly endless lifting of the veil, and decided instead to ponder why Pansy Parkinson had taken such an interest in attempting to hex her recently.

Her eyes narrowed. For as long as she could remember, the Slytherin had never truly done more than point her wand in her direction and spit empty threats. So, why— “ _Ofh_!”

Her hand reached out, fisting immediately into the robes of the student she had foolishly run into. An odd sense of déjà vu swept through her body, as she made a quick effort to fix her footing before taking a quick glance up. Kagome froze at the green tint to the fabric clutched between her fingers, and she feared that—

“It would seem you are taking every opportunity to run into me, Higurashi.”

Snatching her hand back, she hissed, “ _Malfoy._ ”

Draco Malfoy did not make an effort to sneer at her, and knew he surprised her when he grabbed her fisted hand to pull her toward him. He stared down into her widened eyes, and finally his tired smirk creased his lips when he realized her face was beginning to flush. “Is something _wrong_?”

“ _Let go of me_ ,” her hiss was low. Her heart thumped loudly within her chest, however, when she noticed the fire burning within his gaze. She pulled on her hand slightly, as the familiar sensation from the previous year began to overwhelm her body and soul.

The future she _knew_ was so bright and wondrous. She just _wanted_ —

“She told you to let go of her, _Malfoy_.”

Draco’s head turned to the side at the voice, as he growled, “ _Potter_.”

Reality swept back into focus at Harry’s interference, and Kagome felt her face darken a bit more when she noticed that she had practically pressed herself up into the Slytherin’s broad chest. She nearly stumped backwards, sputtering, and was not all that surprised that the boy let her escape so easily. “I—I—” the words stuck in her throat.

 Harry’s voice was nearly lethal, as he spat, “ _Leave._ ”

Anger beginning to surface, Kagome snapped, “Don’t you tell me what to do, Harry Potter!” She frowned heavily at the other Gryffindor, and huffed at the darkened look he shot in her direction. She did not really care what had happened to him the pervious year, but he had _no right_ ordering her around as if he were her _father_! “You think that just because you’re the Boy-Who-Lived that you can tell everyone what to do!”

“ _Shut up!_ ” Harry snapped back. “I wasn’t the one about to swap saliva with _Draco Malfoy_! You think that no one has noticed how you follow him with your eyes, or how you’ve suddenly decided to play nice! He’s a _Death Eater_ , or don’t you understand that?! Why does no one _listen_ to me?”

Higurashi Kagome did not notice the Slytherin Prince slip away silently, as she took a threatening step toward her fellow Gryffindor. Her hand flew immediately, striking him across the cheek, as she said, “Don’t you _dare_ think you know what I was _about_ to do! And, for your information, Harry, I was about to push that _git_ onto the floor before you decided to play the hero!”

The lie slipped so easily from her lips, she did not even realize she had said it.


	62. Stair

**Hufflepuff**

Her bright blue eyes widened suddenly, as the young Hufflepuff attempted to pull her foot away from the step she had foolishly taken. Her robes fluttered and twisted, as she tried desperately to pull her foot away from the trick stair every Hogwarts student made certain to avoid. “Oh, no!” she cried, “Oh, no, no, _no_!”

It was second nature to many of the students to simply jump this particular step, and the Hufflepuff cursed herself for having forgotten. It was all that blasted—!

“Well, well,” a feminine voice called from below her, “will you look at what the castle caught today, Andromeda. The poor little thing seems to be stuck. Do you think we should pull her out, or simply leave her for a Professor to find?”

Turning her head slightly, Higurashi Kagome frowned deeply as she whispered, “ _Narcissa Black._ ” The Slytherin girl had been the bane of her existence since she started Hogwarts, and to that very day she could not understand what the _noble_ Black had against her.

Andromeda, the second oldest of the Black family, merely sighed. “Just leave her, Cissy. There’s no reason for you to land yourself in detention for using magic in the corridor, especially when it’s getting so close to your O.W.L.s.”

“Oh, nonsense, Andromeda!” Narcissa scowled. “I certainly won’t tell anyone if you don’t. Besides, who is going to listen to a little third year? ‘ _Oh, Professor!_ ’” Her mocking impression of Higurashi Kagome’s slight accent was crude, at best. “’ _That awful prefect, Narcissa Black, did such terrible things to me in—!_ ’”

“Excuse me,” the new voice called from above, “is there a _problem_ here, Narcissa Black?”

Flicking her eyes up toward the top of the staircase, Narcissa attempted to force a smile upon her face. She recognized the other prefect immediately, having crossed his path many a time during patrol, and knew that he was a seventh year like her sister. A filthy _muggle-born_ one, at that. “Oh, heavens, no!” she exclaimed. “My sister and I were just about to help our fellow student from that _dreadful_ trick stair, Tonks. As our prefect duty demands, of course.”

Ted Tonks did not seem to even take notice of her, as he instead swiftly moved to pull his fellow Hufflepuff from her prison. “Do try to avoid that stair in the future,” he chuckled lightly at her. His eyes flicked down toward the two Slytherin girls, as he continued, “You never know what trouble you may find yourself in.”

Andromeda ducked her head down and away, feeling ashamed deep down by her sister’s blatant envy toward the third year student. A light blush touched her cheeks, though she was quick to hide it from her sister’s prying eyes.

“Thank you _so_ much!” Kagome chirped happily at the seventh year.

Ted merely nodded back, stating, “Don’t be late for class now.”


	63. Memory

**Ravenclaw**

“Professor,” Hermione Granger asked, “I’ve always wondered, who is that person in that picture there on your desk? The Ravenclaw girl laughing with you there?” The inquisitive young woman pointed, before a thought crept behind her eyes. “Unless, of course, the Gryffindor here isn’t you, Professor, it’s just that the resemblance—!”

Professor McGonagall glanced up over her spectacles, and flicked her eyes toward the two young women Miss Granger was gesturing toward. “You would be correct, Miss Granger,” she stated calmly. “The Gryffindor is myself at the adventurous age of sixteen.”

Hermione’s mouth formed a small ‘o,’ before she asked, “And the other girl, Professor? She looks rather foreign to me, Chinese or Japanese, perhaps. Maybe Korean, though I’m not for certain.”

McGonagall did not seem to bat an eyelash, as she replied, “She was a transfer student from Japan in my second year at Hogwarts. In that photo there, she was attending her final term here at Hogwarts.”

“ _Oh!_ ” Hermione’s eyes brightened, as she said, “A transfer student must have been very exciting for you, Professor! Especially since it appears that you two seemed to become quite close, despite her being in Ravenclaw house.” Hermione smiled fondly at the way the young raven-haired woman bumped her Gryffindor companion and pointed toward the area where the photo was being taken. “Do you stay in touch often?”

McGonagall paused her in script, and once again allowed herself a moment to glance at the photograph sitting innocently upon her desk. A wisp of familiar laughter swept across her mind, though a frown swiftly pulled at the corner of her lips due to her student’s question.

‘ _Minerva!’ The Ravenclaw chuckled lightly, ‘Don’t act so high strung! You’ll ruin the photo!’_

 _Minerva McGonagall merely scowled in turn, stating, ‘We’re supposed to be studying for our final exams, Kagome. Having our picture taken is_ not _going to help us pass with an Outstanding.’_

 _The Ravenclaw transfer student, Higurashi Kagome, simply bumped the other girl lightly with her hip. ‘Oh, come on, Minerva. There’s plenty of time for that later, but there’s only right_ now _to get this picture taken. Trust me, you won’t regret it later!’_

_The young transfiguration expert merely sighed, but finally allowed a smile to sweep across her own features. It was rather amusing that her dear Ravenclaw friend was less stressed about the final year exams than she, a Gryffindor, was turning out to be. ‘I suppose one won’t hurt.’_

_Kagome’s arm swung around her shoulder, laughing happily._

Hermione frowned somewhat, as she softly asked, “Professor?”

“No, Miss Granger,” McGonagall sighed. “I am afraid that that is not possible.”

“ _Oh…_ ” Hermione allowed her eyes to drop, as the reality began to sink into her mind. The slight pain in her valiant Head of House’s voice was enough to explain the situation to her. “I’m sorry for your loss, Professor. I didn’t mean to bring up such a memory for you.”

“Nonsense,” the Transfiguration Professor replied. When the young Gryffindor glanced up in her direction, she continued, saying, “That photo there can only bring forth a few of the wonderful memories I still possess of Higurashi Kagome in this old mind of mine.”

Hermione Granger smiled, though, as her eyes flickered toward the photograph once more, her curiosity peaked. There was so much more to the story, she was certain, and there was little doubt a bit of light reading would answer her questions now that she knew the name of the mysterious Ravenclaw.


	64. Parseltongue

**Slytherin**

Tom Marvolo Riddle blinked in pure curiosity, as the small Slytherin girl jumped away from the wall she had had her ear pressed to upon catching sight of him. Her smile turned rather nervous underneath his stare, as she tried to avoid his dark eyes. “Is there something the matter, Higurashi- _san_?” he asked politely.

There was really no need to frighten the tiny pure blood any more than she already was. She, after all, was a Slytherin like himself. A transfer, true, but still of ancient and noble blood. There was absolutely no reason for her to become uncomfortable in his presence.

“ _Um_.” She bit her lip off to the side. “I just thought that I heard something, was all. It’s really rather silly. I doubt that you’d like to hear about it, Riddle- _san_.”

Tom’s eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if she had heard the Basilisk slithering just behind the thick wall. _No_ , that could not be possible. The beast stuck strictly to the sewer system, and the walls were far too thick for anyone to hear into the pipes hidden from sight. “I’m certain it is not as silly as you believe, Higurashi- _san_.”

There was an impressive fire buried within the girl’s dark blue eyes, as she finally straightened herself underneath his gaze. Her resolve seemed to strengthen when his eyebrow rose, as she spat, “I _know_ what you’re doing, Riddle- _san_.”

“And would you, _perhaps_ , care to enlighten me?” Tom replied. His stare turned somewhat cold, challenging the tiny Slytherin standing before him to continue with her sentence. He had been careful, after all. There was no possible way that she knew—

“ _You’re not the only one who speaks Parseltongue within these walls_ ,” Higurashi Kagome hissed back at him. Her voice was that of a snake, subtle and light, and it shocked the Slytherin boy to the core. “ _This Basilisk you’ve unleashed upon the school… How dare you? Who are you to choose who steps within these walls?_ ”

His surprise spurred his own decent into Parseltongue, “ _And who are you to deny the wish of Salazar Slytherin?_ ”

She shook her head, saying, “ _Salazar may have raised the beast, but he_ never _turned it upon the student body. He left it within the Chamber of Secrets so that it could grow without harm, so that it could_ live _in a world that would attempt to destroy it._ ”

His wand was immediately within his hand, as he glowered at the other Slytherin student. “ _It matters not_ ,” he said. “ _The Basilisk will listen to no one but myself, for I am Salazar’s descendent!_ ”

“Every _Parselmouth is a descendent of Salazar Slytherin!_ ” she mocked. “ _You will stop this ridiculous attempt to rid Hogwarts of impure blood! Don’t you understand that you are bringing an end to the marvelous school? What do you think will happen to Hogwarts once you’ve_ killed _someone because of your own selfish desires?_ ”

His hand shook slightly at the implication that there was an _end_ to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts had become his home far away from that ridiculous establishment muggles called an orphanage. Hogwarts was where he had finally learned that he was not crazy, that he was, indeed, _special_ compared to all the other orphanage children. If there was an _end_ to the school—

“ _Would you risk this school because you are disgusted with a few muggle-born children wandering the halls?_ ”

No.

No.

 _“No…_ ” he whispered back.

“ _Return the snake to its cage, Tom_ ,” she said softly. “ _Don’t hurt anyone else._ ”

“ _Tonight_ ,” he replied.

“ _Tonight_ ,” she nodded back.


	65. Chaser

**Gryffindor**

“… _gome!_ ”

The seventh year Gryffindor turned swiftly on her heel at the sound of her name. Her eyes skimmed through the students crowding the corridor, before she finally shrugged her shoulder and decided to continue on her way. She may have just heard what sounded like her name, after all, and so there was really no reason to stand stupidly in the middle of the hall.

A firm hand grabbed onto her shoulder almost immediately.

Swinging her head back round, Higurashi Kagome snapped, “ _Excuse_ _me_ , but I don’t appreciate…!” Her sentence trailed away when she noticed the dark shining eyes of the Gryffindor boy standing just behind her. “ _Oh…_ was that you calling for me, Oliver?”

Oliver Wood merely smiled at her tone, saying, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Kagome! It’s almost like you suddenly decided to become a phantom for the day.”

The girl snorted, as she replied, “Don’t be silly. Did you need something?”

Oliver’s face flushed slightly underneath her pretty smile, before he nodded toward an empty classroom nearby. “Perhaps it’s best if we get out of this corridor first,” he nodded. “Wouldn’t want the wrong people listening in.”

Her eyebrow lifted, though she allowed the other seventh year to pull her into the nearby classroom without resistance. Oliver was a nice boy, after all, and she had little suspicion when it came to him attempting anything while they were alone in a classroom next to a crowded corridor. However, she could not help but tease the other Gryffindor a bit. “I hope you’re not attempting to try anything, Oliver,” she giggled. “I’ll have you know I did not take to kindly to when Marcus Flint tried something like this last year…”

Oliver sputtered for a moment, before he said, “ _Never!_ ”

She waved her hand at him, giggling, “I was only joking.” Knowing that she had flustered the boy a bit from the way his face tinted, she decided to change the topic all together. “ _So_ , you wanted to ask me something?”

“ _Well_ , I’d heard that you were amazing with a broom—” Oliver immediately noticed the implication of his sentence when Kagome’s eyebrow lifted a little higher than normal. He reddened a bit more, as he stuttered, “—That’s not to say… I mean, not _that_ type of broom, _of course_!”

“I’m assuming this has to do with Quidditch?” Kagome could not quite hold back the chuckle that escaped her. Oliver Wood was always so cute whenever he got flustered.

“ _Yes!_ ” The other Gryffindor nodded. “You see, Alicia is really sick and Madam Pomfrey has decided that she’s not well enough to play in the upcoming Hufflepuff game. I need another Chaser, and knowing how well you handle a broom _stick_ , I thought that I’d ask you if you’d like to stand-in for her?”

“I’d love to!” Kagome smiled.

Oliver smiled back, saying, “That’s great! We have practice tomorrow, so you can get used to playing beside Katie and Angelina. I’m sure Fred and George will be excited to see you, too, since they were the ones that recommended that I ask you to take Alicia’s place for the time being.”

The Higurashi girl rolled her eyes at the mention of the Weasley twins, knowing exactly what it was they were up to. They never shut up about it, after all. “You _know_ ,” she clicked her tongue, “you could have just asked me out on a date, Oliver.”

His face reddened once again, as he said, “W- _what—_?”

“Maybe next time, _hm_?” she laughed.

“U- _uh_ ,” Oliver nodded, feeling out of his element. He was going to _kill_ Fred and George for this, he told himself. “ _Yeah_.”


	66. Blood

**Ravenclaw**

“And now is the time to declare yourself,” the Dark Lord smiled, “so come forward and join _us_.” He stalked a ways across the rumble of the once magnificent Great Hall, his smile stretching at the looks of horror he received with the knowledge that their savior, Harry Potter, was _dead_. Destroyed by his own hand, and thus the prophecy fulfilled. However, his smile vanished for a moment, as he added, “ _Or die_.”

Her throat felt dry with the small speech, as she sought the eyes she felt burning into her soul. She was out there watching her, _waiting_ , and expecting her to make the decision that would bring damnation to her soul. The seventh year Ravenclaw found her after a moment, as her eldest sister pushed her way through the Death Eater crowd.

Higurashi Kagome felt her eyes dilate when she noticed the thin arm that her sister, Kikyo, held tightly within her grasp. Her gaze shifted somewhat, taking in the sight of her youngest sibling amongst the seasoned witches and wizards. Afraid, held captive by his very own sister, and silently begging for her to save him from his current fate.

“ _Souta_ ,” the name tumbled from her mouth in a whisper.

She took a step forward subconsciously, knowing that she had to do the right thing in order to protect her little brother from Kikyo’s wrath. For there was little doubt that her Slytherin sister would not pull her wand upon their defenseless brother in order to get her way. That was the reason he was there, after all.

Either she chose the role of servitude, or there would be Higurashi blood spilled.

Kikyo would win either way.

Kagome took another step forward, attempting to find any possible way to escape her sister’s cunning. The world seemed to be closing in around her, though, because there was simply no way for her brother, just a _year_ away from his own wand, to protect himself. She _had_ to protect him. There was no other way.

At last she broke from the crowd. Her stride was swift and sure, and she paused only when the Dark Lord chose to settle his gaze upon her moving toward his Death Eater ranks. Kagome cast a quick glance behind her, noticing the pained expressions on her fellow Ravenclaw with her sudden betrayal.

‘ _I’m sorry_.’

The moment was broken when her crazed sister called for her, “ _Kagome!_ ”

“ _Ah_ ,” Lord Voldemort chuckled, “how delightful. The Higurashi brood reunited after so many years of needless sacrifice. I am certain that your sister is pleased to know that you are no longer running from the path that will shine glory upon your noble lineage. _We_ are your _family_ , after all. You are making the _right_ decision.”

The _right_ decision, indeed.

More like the _only_ choice.

As she stepped into the Death Eater crowd, she glared into her sister’s proud smirk and wrapped her little brother in a tight hug. “It’ll be okay, Souta,” she told him. “I’m here now.”

“Where you _should_ be,” Kikyo added.


	67. Patronus

**Hufflepuff**

The Room of Requirement was filled with glittering streams of silver magic, as each and every member of Dumbledore’s Army attempted the Patronus Charm. Being the first day, very few managed to find a memory with the strength that caused Harry Potter’s to take the form of a majestic stag. The Room was beautiful, however, as many students pushed themselves to master the advanced magic.

“Aren’t you going to try the spell, Kagome?” Cho Chang asked softly.

Tipping her head toward her Ravenclaw friend, the Hufflepuff girl shrugged her shoulder slightly. Then, her mouth turned downward, she said, “I’m just not sure if the memory I’ve chosen is going to much of _anything_ , to be honest.”

“I’m sure it’ll have more results than _mine_ ,” Cho sighed.

A sadness touched Higurashi Kagome’s deep blue eyes. It was obvious to everyone where Cho’s own sadness stemmed from, considering the girl had barely gone a day without being seen beside Cedric Diggory when the boy was still alive. The connection between the two had been immediate, and it was clear that that severed tie was eating at Cho’s heart.

The Hufflepuff hoped that she found peace with Cedric’s tragic death.

“I’m sorry.” Cho’s smile was sad. “What is your memory about?”

Kagome allowed her the change in topic, as she replied, “It’s nothing really all that exciting. All I really remember about it was that my dad was there, helping me write my wish for _Tanabata_. My wish was silly, but my dad really seemed to love it. I can’t even remember what I wished for anymore.”

“That seems really sweet.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Kagome nodded. “That was the last year that he was with us. I think it only stands out because I so wanted to watch as they took all the decorations and set them afloat on the river. It’s always beautiful to watch, but I was too young then. My mother wanted me to return home to sleep, and I only agreed because my dad promised that he would take me the next year.”

“ _Oh…_ ” Cho frowned.

“I’ll always treasure that memory of him,” the Hufflepuff girl smiled back.

Cho’s lip lifted slightly underneath her friend’s gentle smile. The other girl never ceased to amaze her, as she helped her each and every step toward accepting the tragedy that had befallen Cedric. “I think that the memory of your father will be perfect, Kagome.”

Her smile soft, the girl finally lifted her wand and muttered, “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

The Room of Requirement turned quiet, as students alike turned toward the regal, liquid silver wolf that proudly stood as protection before the tiny Hufflepuff. The creature’s head fell back in what appeared to be a silent howl, as a wave of silver magic washed out over the student body.

Her wand lowering, Kagome felt the first prickle of tears beginning to form. Her mouth just barely moved, as she whispered, “ _Daddy…_ ”

Cho’s hand fell heavily upon her shoulder, as the Ravenclaw congratulated her, “That was amazing, Kagome. Good work.”


	68. Relation

**Slytherin**

She could not say that she was surprised when he had landed himself into the Gryffindor house, but some part of her was rather disappointed that she would not be able to interact properly with him. His father had been a knuckle-headed lion, too, from what she understood, so it was really not all that surprising that the apple did not fall far from the tree.

Even if he had been raised by _muggles_.

Still, despite his house placement, she could not stop herself from smiling openly at the Gryffindor student when she finally cornered him outside of class. The way he stiffened underneath her gaze was rather amusing, but she supposed that she _was_ being rather forward. Especially for a Slytherin student, since there was little doubt that he had already begun to develop the distain that the rest of his house felt toward her family of snakes _._

“Can I help you?”

He was looking for a way out. There was little he could do against an older student in truth, being a first year, but _this_ was Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived who had taken it upon himself to battle with a troll inside the girl’s bathroom, if the Gryffindor gossip was anything to believe. He was probably so full of himself by now that he probably assumed he could just ask her to leave and she would be more than happy to do whatever he asked.

She decided that the best course of action was being straightforward, so with her hand outstretched toward him, she said, “Hello, Harry.”

“ _Um_ ,” he glanced at her hand, but did not take it, “hi?”

She waved off the rude decline with a slight huff, sticking her lip out slightly to one side. He _had_ developed the Gryffindor behavior toward the Slytherin house, and she silently told herself that she would need to put a certain Malfoy boy in his place later for ruining her beautiful moment. “I had hoped that we might become somewhat like secret friends, but I’m guessing that since you think you’re too good to even shake my hand, you’re too good to even consider something so personal.”

Harry’s mouth dropped open, as he spat, “You’re a _Slytherin_!”

“Well, _yeah_!” she sighed. “But I’m not just _any_ Slytherin!”

The first year student looked completely flabbergasted by her sudden change in emotion, and wondered if any of the other Slytherin students would be caught dead whining the way she was. “I don’t even know who you are!” Harry replied, surprise dripping from his voice.

“Haven’t those muggles taught you _anything_?” she frowned. Her father’s distain for the non-magical part of the world leaked through her, but she was quick to cover it up by smiling brightly once again. “I’m Kagome!”

“Uh,” Harry blinked owlishly, “that’s not exactly _helpful_.”

Her pout was immediate, as she said, “But I’m your _cousin_! Kagome _Potter_? That doesn’t ring any bells with you at all?”

Harry’s mouth fell open, and he nearly shouted, “You’re my _what_?”

“Have you been living under a _rock_?” she giggled. “Did you think that you only had family on your mother’s side? We have the same great-grandfather, so I’ve always been under the assumption that they decided to give you to a more direct family member when…”

Harry frowned, noticing her sudden retreat from the subject. It was not as if he did not know exactly where she had been heading with the conversation, but there was some part of him that was grateful that she took the consideration that he might not _want_ to hear about it.

“…well, _y’know_ ,” she finished.

“That’s, _um_ , nice and all,” Harry found himself mumbling, “but I _really_ need to get to my next class before I’m late.”

“Oh…” The Slytherin girl feared that she may have ruined her chance to get to know her distant cousin, but quickly decided to make the most of the situation. Her smile brightened a little more, and though she shifted out of the young Gryffindor’s path, she made sure to say, “That’s alright, Harry. I’ll see you around!”

Harry found himself nodding, confused entirely by the Slytherin’s odd behavior as a whole. Every Slytherin he had had the _privilege_ of speaking with had either appeared distant or sneered at him in the end. This girl, his _cousin_ , had this air around her that seemed to light up the entire corridor with her simple smile. “ _Uh_ , sure.”

“Great!” She made sure to wave when she said, “Bye!”

The Boy-Who-Lived blinked, wondering why in the world the Sorting Hat had not landed that girl into Hufflepuff.


	69. Spat

**Gryffindor**

“The other girls and I were just wondering,” Lavender Brown’s smile grew just a little more, “what it’s like to be a veela? I mean, you could have _anything_ you wanted, right?”

Blinking owlishly, Higurashi Kagome said, “Um, _no_?”

“No?” Pavarti Patil frowned.

“Well,” Kagome bit her lip, “my mother taught me better than to use my blood in order to get whatever I wanted out of life. You have to _earn_ what you want, not just have it handed to you on a silver platter. If you don’t, you’ll never learn anything.”

“ _But_ , that doesn’t mean that you _couldn’t_ , right?” Lavender asked.

“I _guess_ so?” There was something about the conversation that was starting to make the Gryffindor transfer student a little uncomfortable. She quickly ducked her head back into the Transfiguration book that she had been reading, hoping that the pack of females would scurry away and find something else to amuse them.

A sigh drew her attention once more, as Ginny Weasley glanced down the table with an absolute look of longing. It was a wonder whether she was looking for the boy that she had recently broken up with or the boy that everyone said she was constantly pining over. Either way, Kagome was not really all that interested in knowing.

“You could probably have any _boy_ that you ever wanted,” Ginny huffed. “Fleur’s that way, and she’s only quarter-veela. My brother Bill can’t stop talking about her whenever he gets the time to visit.”

“ _Uh?_ ” Kagome could not say that she was a _little_ lost.

Even Lavender and Pavarti glanced between each other, a little confused themselves.

“You could, couldn’t you?” Ginny suddenly demanded. “I bet you could get any boy in the entire school to like you, despite the house you were placed into by the Sorting Hat. That means you could even seduce a _Slytherin_.”

Lavender’s mouth fell open in surprise, as she exclaimed, “Oh my _god_ , you could!”

Pavarti made a slight sound of disgust, saying, “Why would you _want_ to?”

“Look, Ginevra,” Kagome frowned, “I’m _not_ going to use my blood for—!”

“It’s _Ginny_ ,” the other Gryffindor cut her off, “and I _dare_ you!”

“ _No_ ,” Kagome stated almost immediately. It was certainly not her problem if the Weasley girl had something against her brother’s preference in women, nor was it her problem if this _Fleur_ was more than willing to use her veela charm. “I am not going to do something so _childish_ simply because—”

“How are you in Gryffindor again?” Ginny snorted. “It sounds like you’re _scared_.”

“ _Oohhh_ ,” Lavender giggled.

“I was under the impression Gryffindor students were brave of heart,” Kagome replied, “not _stupid_.”

Ginny’s stare turned hot, her lip turning further downward. She had something to prove, and she _was_ going to get what she wanted out of the other Gryffindor girl whether she liked it or not. “Maybe you’re a _liar_ , too.”

It was Kagome’s turn to glare.

“ _Uh_ ,” Lavender glanced between them, “Ginny, I really think that you’re taking this a _little_ too far.”

“I haven’t seen you do _anything_ that would suggest you actually have veela blood,” Ginny continued. “Who’s to say that you didn’t just make it up so that people would be more interested in you? The poor little transfer that doesn’t have any _friends_?”

“I’ll forgive you for _that_ one just because you don’t know what you’re asking for,” Kagome said, her voice cold and distant. “My mother has strictly _forbidden_ use of my veela charm while within the confines of this school, and unfortunately for _you_ , I am not about to go against her wishes.”

Ginny’s hand clenched, but she was not about to give up. “And I suppose that when you’re old enough to live on your own, you’ll continue to do whatever your _mummy_ tells you to do?”

Kagome’s book snapped shut, as she growled, “You don’t understand the _thrill_ that pumps through a veela when they charm another person, all right! A person with little to no veela blood might not succumb to that feeling, but someone like _me_ , who has pure veela blood, can be _destroyed_ by it! You don’t know who you are anymore, because all you want to do is draw more and more people into your web of lies! So, _no_ , I’m not going to do it—!”

Ginny’s mouth fell open slightly.

“—and you can just _back off_!”

As the Higurashi girl stormed away, Pavarti said, “What’s your _problem_ today, Ginny?”


	70. Attention

**Ravenclaw**

“Is there something wrong, Pansy?”

Pansy Parkinson waved her hand lightly toward the Ravenclaw seated next to her, saying, “Don’t worry about it. This part is just going to be hilarious.”

Higurashi Kagome lifted an eyebrow, pondering what exactly her Slytherin counterpart meant by her cryptic sentence. She quickly let it slide after a few moments, though, and pointed to another charm hidden within the book that she held. “We could try this one here,” she suggested. “I’m sure it would impress Professor Flitwick.”

The Slytherin did not seem to be paying her much mind, however, as she nodded lightly. Her cool gaze was settled on the opposite side of the library, challenging and amused, as a slight smirk tilted her lip. “Oh, _yeah_ ,” she muttered “Whatever you want.”

Sighing, Kagome finally glanced in the direction that held her partner’s complete attention. Her brow twitched almost instantly, knowing all too well why Pansy seemed so amused by the mere sight of Blaise Zabini leaning against a table full of giggling Hufflepuff girls. “Oh _lord_.”

“Blue eyes,” Pansy remarked.

“I’m sorry?” Kagome blinked.

“The girl he’s focused on,” Pansy added. “She has blue eyes.”

Kagome barely cast the table a second glance, as she said, “So she does.”

“This is the _best_ part,” Pansy smirked. She glanced back over at the Ravenclaw seated next to her as the loud _smack_ resonated throughout the library. “He just can’t control himself whenever he starts thinking about _her_. Poor boy doesn’t even realize it, either.”

Mild curiosity crept into the Ravenclaw’s mind, as she asked, “ _Oh?_ ”

“He’s totally _bonkers_ for this _certain_ girl!” Pansy snickered. “He doesn’t even realize that he’s always chasing every girl that has _blue_ eyes or _black_ hair or just the _right_ smile.”

There was something about the way Pansy glanced in her direction that made Kagome slightly uneasy. It was obvious that _she_ , herself, had at least two of those features that Pansy had described, but she had _clearly_ turned the Slytherin boy down when he had asked her to accompany to Hogsmeade. Was she trying to tell her that Blaise would eventually come back around to attempt to seduce her once again?

“ _Madly_ in love,” Pansy sighed. “It’d be almost _cute_ if the girl would just notice all the time he takes in order to try and make her jealous in order to get her attention. But, _I_ , personally, like it better this way. He trips all over himself and then lands himself in detention almost _every_ night now.”

Listening to Madam Irma Pince reprimand the Slytherin boy for creating a ruckus in her library, the Higurashi girl pondered over what Pansy had told her a little more. The sly glance from the other girl was clear enough to see, but there was just something about what she had said that—

Kagome’s mouth fell open, as her face colored.

“Oh, I’m _sorry_ ,” Pansy giggled. The Slytherin did not sound sorry in the slightly. “Did I give _it_ away?”

“You cannot _possibly_ mean that…!” Kagome nearly choked on the rest of her sentence.

“Oh, but I _can_ , darling!” Pansy nodded. She grabbed her book bag, swinging it up over her shoulder, as she cast another sly look down at the sputtering Ravenclaw. “Blaise Zabini is madly in love with _you_!”


	71. Book

**Hufflepuff**

The compartment door slid open slightly, as the girl poked her head into the space with a slight pout. “ _Uh_ , hello,” she sighed. “Would _you_ mind if I sat in here with you? All the other seats are apparently taken.”

Ron Weasley seemed to light up almost immediately, and earned a curious glance from the Boy-Who-Lived sitting just across from him. “Oh, _blimey_ , no!” Ron exclaimed. “Harry and I wouldn’t mind a bit, would we, Harry?”

Neville Longbottom frowned somewhat, muttering, “I wouldn’t mind either, y’know.”

The girl pulled the door open a little more with a bright smile when she caught sight of the other boy sitting at the far end of the compartment. “Neville!” she said. Her yellow tinted robes pegged her immediately as a Hufflepuff student. “I had hoped that I would get the chance to see you before we got to Hogwarts. Did you enjoy that book I lent you?”

The Gryffindor boy scratched the back of his head lightly, as a nervous chuckle barely made it passed his lips. “Well, you see… that’s a funny story, actually.”

Harry blinked, before breaking the sudden silence that swept into the compartment by asking the one question that he knew Ron was probably dying to know. “ _Um_ , not to be rude, but… _who_ are you?” He suspected that she was a younger student, since Ron would have probably pointed out such a pretty Hufflepuff in any of the classes the Gryffindor group shared with them.

The Hufflepuff blinked back at him, frowning.

“…did I offend you?” Harry asked after a moment.

“ _No_ ,” she said slowly. “I was just wondering if that flowerpot I accidentally dropped on your head last year loosened a few screws up there.” She plopped down next to the Gryffindor, poking him lightly in the temple as she did so. Her smile returned with the action. “I would have thought the famous Harry Potter would at least take the time to remember the girl that nearly knocked him out cold during class. Earned me a detention with Professor Sprout, too!”

“ _Oh_ …” Harry could honestly say that he had thought someone _else_ had dropped that particular flowerpot on his head.

The girl shrugged saying, “That’s okay. I’m not a Gryffindor, so I wouldn’t suspect that you’d take the time to remember my name unless I started hanging out with you like Luna does.” Her smile brightened up once more, as she continued, “I’m Kagome! Higurashi Kagome to be exact.”

Ron turned a little red, as he exclaimed, “She was invited to Hogwarts all the way from Japan! I remember Hermione saying something about it, after she wanted to figure out why you were always using your surname first.”

Kagome seemed oblivious to the boy’s crush, as she nodded, “That’s right!” Her head turned slightly, as she once again focused on the silent Gryffindor sitting across from her now. “Which is why I wanted to know if Neville had enjoyed that book or not. I barely managed to finish translating it before the school year ended last year.”

Neville looked away quickly, muttering.

Harry lifted an eyebrow, saying, “I don’t think anyone heard you, mate.”

“My grandmother’s cat ruined it!” Neville suddenly cried. His face fell when he looked at the girl sitting in the compartment with them, knowing that she had taken all that time so he could actually _read_ the book and he should have taken better care of it. “I left it outside of my trunk the first night back from Hogwarts, and she just attacked it! I’m sorry!”

“ _Oh_ …”

Neville felt ashamed with himself all over again underneath the Hufflepuff’s stare.

Kagome smiled softly, saying, “Don’t worry about it, Neville. It was just a book. I could always have my mum send me another copy to translate for you again, if you’re really interested in reading it.”

The Gryffindor blushed slightly, muttering, “You don’t have to do that.”

“Don’t be silly,” the Hufflepuff said, “I’d love to!”


	72. Qualified

**Gryffindor**

Licking her finger slightly, the Gryffindor girl thumbed another page aside in her search for information on her current assignment. Professor Snape was rather demanding of her, being his most gifted fifth year student, and she would hate to disappoint him. Especially when she had had to ask him to gain access to the restricted section in the library for her to even complete the assignment.

The couch shifted slightly, breaking her concentration, and she quickly cast a light glare toward the person that had decided to disturb her. A huff escaped her, as she said, " _Percy_."

"Kagome."

Higurashi Kagome frowned, immediately gritting her teeth at the tone that the Weasley had chosen to use. With how quickly his ego had shot through the roof, it was a wonder how Professor Dumbledore had come to the conclusion that it would be  _bloody brilliant_  to gift Percy with his prefect status. Anyone as studious could have filled the position just as nicely, in her opinion.

"As charming as ever, I see," he added.

"Well," she made sure to give him a facetious grin, "you  _did_  dump an entire bottle of Honeywater into my  _Volubilis Potion_. Even  _after_  I specially told you to only add enough that the cauldron started to turn pink."

The prefect's face colored slightly.

"And for  _what_? So you could have a little bit of extra chit-chat with Penelope Clearwater?" Kagome snorted. Her eyes narrowed a little more, as she snapped, "You turned my potion into  _acid_ , and did not even  _bother_  to try and help me when it overflowed! The only thing you were worried about was whether or not you were going to lose your precious shoes!"

The silence afterward was awkward and tense, as the Gryffindor girl shoved her nose back into her book. She did not allow herself to become too hopeful that the prefect would take the hint and  _leave_ , though. He never bothered her without a reason, and despite her better judgment, she did find herself rather curious as to whatever it was he had hidden up his sleeve.

Finally, Percy gave a sigh, saying, "Have you heard that Professor McGonagall has chosen Harry Potter to be the new Gryffindor Seeker?"

Her hand clenched tight to her book's cover, and she prayed that it had not been  _too_  obvious. "Yes," she frowned. "I have heard—"

"Are you excited?" Percy continued.

"— _and_ , quite frankly, I feel as if Professor McGonagall is being unfair!" Her blue eyes were blazing, as her book shut with a loud  _snap_. She most certainly was  _not_  excited. Not one little bit. "She did not even consider that there might have been  _someone_  else vying for the Seeker position! I can forgive her for picking a first year, despite the  _rules_ , but why is Harry Potter having it handed to him as if he is the  _only_  person qualified? He might have Quidditch in his blood, and he might have talent, but,  _surely_ , that should not mean that he should not have to  _earn_  the position like every Seeker before him?!"

The Weasley boy allowed her to continue her little rant, knowing that she would eventually run out of steam. However, he blinked in surprise when she stood in a fury of swishing robes, glaring down upon him as if  _he_  had picked Harry Potter as the Gryffindor Seeker.

"He might be the Boy-Who-Lived, but  _that_  does not mean that he should be treated differently than anyone else in this school!" The Higurashi girl stomped her foot childishly out of sheer frustration, as she spat, "If every Professor in this school just decides to hand him whatever it is he wants, instead of giving other students a  _chance_ , Lord forbid, we will be faced with another  _you_!"

Percy's stare immediately narrowed with the jab.

"It just makes feel me  _so_ —" she turned on her heel, already storming away, "— _Ugh!_ "

* * *

 **Note:**  The chapter that was supposed to go here has been giving me a bit of grief, so I decided to say screw it and upload what I'd written ahead of time and just shuffle them around correctly later on.

In other news, please note that while these are  _short_ , if I catch you attempting to steal any of these drabbles word for  _word_ , I will politely ask that you change the content. If you then reply back to me as if I am  _inconveniencing_ you, blatantly telling me that you have done nothing  _wrong_  because your content is 5,000 words in comparison to my 500 word drabbles, block me, and then several days later send another reply telling me you changed the content because it  _might_  be plagiarism to not do so,  **THEN INSULT ME**  on top of it, be sure that I will report you every single way until Sunday.

These drabbles were started as a dedication to my  _deceased_  father, and you'll have to forgive me if I don't take kindly to you copy and pasting two of my drabbles together (when it doesn't even make any  _sense_ in the context of your story), claiming you wrote it because you "changed some names." Thank you, and have a pleasant day.


	73. Envy

**Squib**

Kicking the ground half-heartedly, Petunia Evans once again glanced back into the shop’s window and wondered why her parents insisted on her joining the family for this ridiculous outing. She had absolutely no desire to enter any of the shops, and she most _certainly_ did not care whether or not special little Lily needed a stick to show off how abnormal she truly was.

The _freak_.

There was not really anything _special_ about her at all.

However, catching sight of her sister being handed another wand, Petunia pursed her lips together tightly and looked away. It took her a moment to remind herself that it was for the _best_ that Lily was sent off to learn how to control herself _away_ from normal people. She might blow something up otherwise. Nobody wanted that.

“…you _excited_?”

Petunia glanced up quickly, blinking at the girl suddenly standing next to her. _That_ was certainly _not_ normal. People did not simply show up out of _nowhere_. Petunia turned her nose up with the notion, taking a step away from the other girl without so much as a word. She had no reason to talk to any _odd_ people, after all, and she was certain that the girl would skitter on her way once she realized it too.

The girl’s sunny demeanor never faltered, as she asked, “Are you waiting your turn to get your wand?”

Petunia snorted, saying, “ _No_ , I’m _normal_.”

The girl tilted her head to one side, and Petunia wondered for a moment if she was too young to understand the sarcasm. Then, she surprised her by sticking out her hand, grinning from ear to ear. “Well, ‘ello, _Normal_ , I’m Kagome! Higurashi Kagome.”

Sneering slightly, Petunia hissed, “Think you’re _funny_ , do you?”

Kagome pulled her hand back slightly, frowning. “ _Um…_ ”

“I’ll have you know that we’re not all like _you_ people,” Petunia spat. There was venom she normally saved for one Severus Snape etched into her tone. “And _some_ of us are more than happy to be— _be_ —” she struggled with the term for a moment, “— _muggles_!”

“You must have it _rough_.”

Petunia sputtered in surprise at the accusation.

Dark blue eyes gazed up her from underneath equally dark locks, and it seemed for a moment that the girl was wise beyond her years. That something dark lurked beneath her exterior. Her finger lifted to point into the wand shop behind them, as she asked, “Do you see that girl waiting for her chance to get a wand?”

Following her finger slowly, Petunia nodded somewhat when she caught sight of the other couple fawning over the girl between them. They were obviously waiting for Lily to finally stop taking up everyone’s time.

Kagome frowned a little more, saying, “That’s my twin sister, Kikyo. She’ll be attending Mahoutokoro, the school in Japan, as a first year once term starts. My parents thought it would be amazing if we traveled here in order to get her wand from Ollivanders, since Mr. Ollivander is one of the best wandmaker’s in the whole world.”

There was a question in Petunia’s eye quite suddenly.

“I won’t be attending because,” Kagome looked away, “I’m a _squib_.”

Her brow furrowed, not understanding the term.

“I don’t have _any_ magic,” Kagome explained softly. “We’re _purebloods_. There hasn’t been an ounce of muggle blood found within our family line in over five hundred years. But, I _still_ ended up as a stain on our family.” She smiled sadly, continuing, “My mom says it’ll be fine. That I’ll just go to some muggle school to pass the time.”

Petunia frowned, wondering what it must have felt like. The envy she felt churning beneath her skin whenever she noticed Lily performing another little trick with ease seemed almost _childish_. Her face reddened somewhat, though she refused to appear weak in front of all the people wandering up and down Diagon Alley. Besides, it was not _her_ fault that the girl would have to give up learning magic for math and literature instead.

“But, I know they won’t ever have time for me,” the girl confessed. Her voice was a mere whisper on the ear the moment her heart spilled forth. “They won’t be able to attend any events, and they won’t understand anything that I’m learning. And, I _want_ to be okay with that, but I’m _not_. I just want to learn spells alongside my sister.”

“I’m _sorry_ ,” Petunia coughed.

Kagome stuck her hand back out, her sunny exterior locked neatly back into place on her lips. “Friends, _Normal_?” she asked. She giggled at the look that the other girl shot her from the corner of her eye with the name.

Sticking her own hand out in a way that made it look almost reluctant, the muggle girl replied, “Petunia Evans.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Petunia,” Kagome grinned. “I hope that we can be the best of friends!”

Staring at the girl with slightly pursed lips, Petunia silently admitted to herself that she wished she could keep the defective little witch as her friend forever. It was impossible, though. The mail would take forever between them, and she doubted that a filthy owl could travel much quicker than international post. “Maybe we’ll see each other again some time,” she said.

“Maybe!” Kagome nodded. “My dad went to Hogwarts, so we’ll probably shop here in Diagon Alley every year for Kikyo.”

Petunia smiled slightly with the thought.


	74. Restricted

**Slytherin**

"You know we're not supposed to be here, right?"

" _Shhh!_ " Higurashi Kagome hissed. Her bright blue eyes flashed, checking the stairway a third time for any unwelcome company. Lord forbid they attracted Peeves, though the thought of hexing the poltergeist was rather pleasant to say the least. "You know you're just as curious as I am!"

"Actually," the Slytherin boy sighed, "I would have to say that I most certainly am  _not_."

She gave him a look of complete disbelief. "Liar, liar, cloaks on fire, Theodore! You know you want to find out why the third floor corridor has suddenly become off limits. I can see it written all over your face."

"I'd personally rather avoid getting detention," Theodore Nott said. He knew it was useless, though, considering the Slytherin girl could be as stubborn as a Gryffindor most days. Once she set her sights on a new adventure, she was off and racing toward it, dragging him along for the ride in the process. No amount of reason or complaining could stop her at this point.

Kagome flashed him that brilliant smile that usually broke his resolve. "That's the beauty of it!" she replied cheerfully. "Nobody will ever know we were here, so there's no way that we could land detention! Besides, we're only going to take a  _tiny_  peek, right? What's the harm in that? We're at Hogwarts, the safest place in the world, and it isn't like Professor Dumbledore is going to put the students at risk, right? I have my galleons on it only being some kind of test for the seventh years or something."

"If that's all it is, then why did Professor Dumbledore say it was strictly forbidden to all students?" Theodore honestly wondered now and then how the Sorting Hat had chosen Slytherin, of all places, to put Higurashi Kagome. It was probably to kill him. He had had  _his_  money on that bet for a while now.

"Well, it obviously isn't ready yet!"

Theodore gave her a look that clearly read, "You're really stupid, and I want you to know that as my best friend."

" _Ooooh!_ " Kagome puffed. "You'll see!"

The faint cat  _meow_  behind them was the only warning.

Stiffening, the two Slytherin students turned to find Argus Filch standing behind them, his cat, Mrs. Norris, causally licking her paw at his feet. The cat looked quite pleased with herself, her tail flicking ever so slightly at the tip beneath their stare.

"And just  _what_  do you two trouble makers think yer doin'?" the caretaker growled. "This corridor is off limits to students."

" _Well…_ " Kagome looked as innocent as any snake possibly could, "We just took a wrong turn is all, Mr. Filch! We're terribly sorry."

"Is that so?" Filch looked down at his faithful feline, saying, "Ms. Higurashi and Mr. Nott have always seemed to have just ' _taken a wrong turn_ ,' wouldn't you say, Mrs. Norris?"

The cat gave only a faint purr in agreement.

"What's that?" Filch asked. "Detention for both of 'em?"

Theodore gave his fellow Slytherin  _that_  look again. "I knew this was going to end in detention," he muttered.

"But you still came anyway," she hissed back.

"Come on then," Filch barked. "I'm sure Professor Snape will love to hear about this one."


	75. Remembrall

**Gryffindor**

"Look!" Draco Malfoy darted forward, snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent to him."

The Remembrall glittered brightly in the afternoon sunlight, as the rest of the flying class cast curious glances in his direction.

The Slytherin boy smiled nastily, saying, "Maybe if he'd given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat arse!" His smile widened with the sudden laughter that burst from his fellow Slytherin classmates.

Harry Potter frowned, taking a step forward.

 _"Really,_  Draco?" a voice from the back of the curious onlooking first years called. "He's not even here to defend himself. Are you going to insult his  _toad,_  too, or just his grandmother?"

The class fell silent, turning to find Higurashi Kagome scowling heavily toward the Slytherin boy.

"Don't talk to Draco that way, you–" Pansy Parkinson paused to consider which insult would bite the deepest, "–filthy blood traitor!"

Harry Potter glanced between them, slowly coming to the realization that they seemed to know each other.

The Gryffindor girl brushed the comment aside with little more than a glance, her glare seemingly reserved for Draco Malfoy. The other first years began to whisper back and forth, surprised by the sudden animosity that the usually cheerful girl was displaying.

" _Well?_ " Kagome snapped.

Draco started to turn a bit red in the face, lowering the Remembrall closer to his chest. He mirrored her scowl, before taking a quick glance at the questioning looks upon the faces of his fellow Slytherin students. He finally scoffed softly, looking away from her entirely.

Pansy's eyes narrowed with his behavior, as she asked, "Draco..?"

"Back off,  _Parkinson!"_  Draco growled. The way he snapped her name caused the girl to flinched away from him suddenly, looking quite stricken. "This doesn't concern  _you."_

Pansy opened her mouth slightly, gaping like a fish.

Blaise Zabini barked a laugh, leaning onto the old practice broom that he had been assigned. When the Slytherin girl finally glanced in his direction, he chuckled, "Don't you know, Parkinson?"

"Know  _what_  exactly?" Pansy asked, her voice very tight.

" _Really?_ " The smile Blaise wore turned vicious. "You would think with how long your family has been throwing you at poor Draco in hopes of an arranged marriage that you would have heard by now."

Kagome started to turn red in the face herself, as the other students began to put the pieces together and gape in her direction. Her scowl deepened a bit more, her eyes turning to slits. It was rather obvious that she was trying very unsuccessfully to set the Malfoy boy on fire with the look itself.

" _I didn't ask for this either!_ " Draco finally snapped at her. He would have to remember to  _thank_  Zabini later for deciding to share his family's private affairs with the  _entire student body_ , considering everyone was now sure to know about it by dinner time. Especially with Parkinson's big mouth. "If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at your crack pot of a gran'dad, Higurashi!"

Pansy seemed to have slipped away from reality itself, muttering, "You… her…?" repeatedly to herself.

" _Pure bloods_ ," someone snickered insultingly.

Harry finally decided he had had enough, saying, "Just give back Neville's Remembrall, Malfoy."

The class seemed to remember what had started the entire fiasco in the first place.

"You mean  _this?"_  Draco held the small object out again, sneering. "No, Potter, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect. How about on the roof?" He was maybe a bit too eager to mount his broom and fly away from the whispers happening around him.

Kagome could only sigh, watching as Harry quickly flew off after him, before all eyes turned upon her once more. Her face as red as a tomato underneath the stares, she snapped, " _What?_  I didn't  _ask_  to be engaged to that  _git!"_


	76. Footprints

**Hufflepuff**

James Potter  _hmmed_  softly, watching as Sirius Black slipped around a corner and out of sight. He was pretty sure that Padfoot was avoiding him at this point, though he had not figured out  _why._  "What do you think?" he asked suddenly, glancing behind him to find Remus Lupin going over the recent Herbology assignment he had missed for a third time. "Is it just me, or has Sirius been acting skittish lately?"

Remus barely even looked up, saying, "Uh,  _yeah,_  sure, James."

The Gryffindor boy shook his head. It was useless trying to talk to Moony whenever he got like this, unless… He sauntered his way over to the table, plucking a random book from the pile that had been scattered there. He flipped it open, nodding absentmindedly at the script printed down the page.

Peter Pettigrew cleared his throat, trying to warn the werewolf before it was too late.  _"Uh,_  Remus…"

Snapping the book closed, James suddenly slammed it down onto the book Moony had shoved his nose into.

" _Gawk!_ " Remus startled, his chair toppling over backwards as he tried to jump away from the sudden assault. He hit the floor rather hard, his head bouncing, before he felt it jerk underneath him and suddenly right itself. Breathing heavily, Remus scowled, growling,  _"James."_

Swishing his wand in the air, James said,  _"Well,_  now that I have your attention."

Peter gave Remus an apologetic, ' _I tried to warn you_ ,' look.

"You know that I need to catch up on this assignment–!" Remus snapped.

James waved his wand again, adding, "–after the last full moon." He gave Moony a very serious look, leaning into the table toward him. "This couldn't have waited another three hours, though, mate. This is  _Sirius."_

Remus gave him a rather deadpan look, asking, "Are  _you_  going to start making that joke as well now?"

" _No!_ " James turned to Wormtail, "You've noticed, too, haven't you?"

Peter only shrugged, "I mean,  _I suppose_ , but Sirius is always wandering off by himself now and then."

"Haven't you heard, James?" Remus sighed. "There's a rumor going around that Sirius has set his sights onto the foreign exchange student from Japan. You remember, don't you?" He sighed again at the blank look that Prongs was suddenly sporting. "Higurashi Kagome? Sorted into Hufflepuff at the beginning of this term? She's in our Astrology class?"

" _Oh!_ " James had a revelation. "You mean the little beauty that threatened to hex Sirius into next week if he ever dared try to come within five feet of her again?" He shook his head, frowning slightly. "I remember him saying that she was one of the most frustrating girls that he had ever met a couple weeks ago. That if he had it his way, he'd have her shipped back to Japan on the first broom he could hex properly."

"She had turned down his invitation to Hogsmeade," Peter said.

James nodded in agreement.

"He's acting quite the same way you used to when it came to Lily."

" _What?_ " The Potter boy scowled, taking a quick glance of the common room to make certain Lily Evans had not wandered in behind him. "For one thing, Remus, I have  _never_  wanted to ship Evans away on a hexed broomstick. That's absurd!" The look Moony gave him told him that he was  _not_  buying that one. "And for another, that little Hufflepuff is as prudish as they get. There's no way Sirius would have become… so..."

Remus finished the sentence for him, "Smitten with her?"

"Exactly!"

Shoving away the extra book Prongs had ceremoniously supplied him with, Remus returned to the assignment he needed to study. "If you're so curious, James, why don't you try using the Map?"

James blinked, reaching up to where he kept his newest project hidden amongst his robes. "Do you think it'll work?" he whispered. The Map was nowhere close to being finished yet. He had not gotten the chance to search  _several_  corridors, and there was no telling where Sirius may have wandered. He probably should have just followed him now that he thought about it.

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" Remus asked.

James considered this for a moment or two, before taking another quick glance around the common room. The Marauders Map was a well kept secret amongst the four of them, and the Potter boy had no intentions of letting others know about it until he was absolutely certain it was completed. Maybe not even then.

"I don't see anyone," Peter chirped, excited to see how much more of the Map Prongs had managed to finish since the last full moon.

Satisfied, James pulled the seemingly innocent piece of parchment from his robes. His wand held lightly in his other hand, he held it up to the blank page and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Almost immediately his enchantment flared to life, the parchment unfolding to reveal more and more and  _more_  of the secrets found amongst Hogwarts walls. The most impressive part, and he was rather proud of it, was when the faint drops of footprints began to spread across the Map. Names sprawled beneath them, giving him the exact location of every living person currently residing within the grounds.

Hopefully Sirius had remained within one of the areas he had finished.

Even Remus glanced up from his assignment.

 _"Wow,"_  Peter said. "You did a lot since the last time I saw this."

James smirked knowingly, nodding, as he searched for… " _Ah ha!_ " he exclaimed. He pressed his finger to the page, watching as the footprints labeled  _Higurashi Kagome_  quickly walked away from him and down the hall she resided in. "Now, if you happen to be right then Sirius should be…"

"Right  _there,"_  Remus said, pressing his own finger onto a hidden alcove off to the side. "This alcove connects to the corridor Kagome's in."

"Huh," James clicked his tongue.

"He could be planning on pulling a prank on her." Peter did not sound very convinced of his own explanation, as he continued, "You know, to get back at her for all the times that she's turned him down."

"Why wouldn't he have included  _me_  then?" James asked.

Peter ducked his head, shrugging. It had sounded  _stupid._  "I don't know."

 _"Uh,"_  Remus suddenly coughed.

James quickly returned his face to the Map, confusion quickly clouding his features when he noticed that the set of footprints labeled _Higurashi Kagome_  had walked into the hidden alcove alongside those marked  _Sirius Black_. Her prints shifted about, as if nervous, before she moved closer to the other set. Then, quite suddenly, her prints moved in a rather odd fashion until her name was neatly tucked underneath the banner with  _Sirius Black_  sprawled across it. "Did she  _trip_  just now?" he muttered.

Remus turned a little red in the face, saying, "I don't think she tripped."

"What then?" James asked.

"I think we should put the Map away now," Remus stated.

The  _Higurashi Kagome_  prints shifted about in an awkward way around the  _Sirius Black_  prints.

James looked even more confused, once again asking, " _Why?_ "

 _"Because,"_  Remus hissed, "I don't think that two people go into a secret alcove that next to nobody remembers is there in order to talk about the weather, that's why!"

Even Peter started to turn a little red in the face with the implication.

" _What?_ " James became a little more interested in the two sets of prints shifting here and there within the alcove, never once moving that far apart. "You seriously don't think…?" He looked back up at Moony, his mouth hanging open. " _Bloody hell_ , you're not saying that this whole time–!"

"I don't know for sure," Remus looked almost like a tomato. "But, I do know that you should put that  _bloody_  thing away in case they are! Give them some privacy, James!"

Pressing his wand to the parchment, James said, "Mischief managed," and watched as the footprints slowly faded from his sight. His own nose a bit red, he looked between Moony and Wormtail for a long moment. Then, finally, he nodded, "We speak of this to  _no one_."

"Agreed," the other two Gryffindor boys chimed.


	77. Raindrops

**Ravenclaw**

Her fingers grazed over the thick stone, as a sad smile touched her face. "So, it's true," she muttered, knowing that there was no one to disturb her. Her dark blue eyes were sad and distant, remembering a time that had long been lost. "They told me, you know," she continued. "I didn't believe them."

There was no answer, not anymore.

Wiping suddenly at her eyes, she said, "Just the other day, I was thinking about that time Lily and I surprised you with a snowball fight. You fell into the Great Lake, remember? You were so upset, grumbling about idiocy and giving us that deadly glare you were starting to perfect. I think…"

Higurashi Kagome felt her voice fade away, as she felt the wet droplet streak across her cheek. Her sad smile twisted a little with the irony. "Even the sky knows how I feel," she told him quietly. "You'd probably tell me that it was just my magic flaring wildly again, affecting the environment and reflecting my emotions. You'd probably be right... You were _always_ right. You would have made a much better Ravenclaw than me..."

Placing her hand firmly against the stone, she felt her voice crack. " _Why…?_ "

Another couple droplets scattered across her flesh, as she finally leaned forward until her forehead was settled directly above the engraving. The letters glared back at her, mocking her and reminding her that she had _allowed_ this. She tried to shut it away suddenly, screwing her eyes tight in an attempt to fight back the tears, but the name had already carved itself into her memory.

 _"Severus…"_ she choked. "You _lied_ to me. You said _we_ would be safe. You said that _we_ would be a family. But you never really… _no,_ of course not, not Lily." The tears were starting to gather heavily, even as she tried to fight them back. "You can never really forget your first love, can you? So, how could you forget her son? You _had_ to protect him, right? You _had_ to return to Hogwarts?"

The rain became a slow drizzle, creating a faint _pitter patter_ against the cold stone.

 _"But…"_ the tears started to leak forth. "But, how could you… _your daughter, Severus!_ "

A crack of lightning lit the sky with the sudden anger.

The sobs came soon after, as the grief finally began to settle deep within her heart. " _How could you leave our daughter like this..?_ "

The grave of one _Severus Snape_ offered no sense of comfort, as the witch huddled close to the stone and cried until her heart gave way.


	78. Dormitory

**Slytherin**

Higurashi Kagome smiled tightly, waving as Pansy Parkinson called out to her in farewell from down the twisting hallway. That girl would do _anything_ to try and make her act more like a Slytherin, it seemed, and Kagome just did not have the heart to tell her _no._ It was frustrating, though. The Sorting Hat had said that she could have easily belonged in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, even she would admit she was a little too scatterbrained to belong in Ravenclaw, yet it had chosen the Slytherin house to help her grow.

Which meant she was stuck with Pansy's constant attempts to turn her into a _proper_ Slytherin.

That girl was _never_ going to understand that she was just too nice to be a proper Slytherin. Hell, even _she_ was not entirely sure what Slytherin traits she possessed in order to be chosen to stand alongside the ranks of pureblood students that valued cunning and ambition above all else. Determination, maybe? A certain disregard for the rules, certainly. She supposed she was clever, too, considering she could have usually given Pansy the slip.

If Blaise Zabini had not been trying adamantly to convince her to go to Hogsmeade with him next Wednesday, she probably would have, too. She tried desperately to tell him _no,_ too, but the boy was as hard headed as they could get. He did not _want_ to take no for an answer, continuing to pursue her at every turn, even when she politely turned him down time and again.

There was really only one safe place for her. She actually thanked Salazar Slytherin time and again when she learned that every Slytherin was privileged to their own dormitory room, knowing that most other houses were required to bunk together. It gave her a place of sanctuary. Somewhere she could hide away from Pansy and Blaise, even if only to get some of her homework done.

Finally certain that the other Slytherin girl was gone, Kagome pulled her wand from the pocket in her robe and began to walk down the hallway. Pansy had not quite figured out that she had always taken her to the wrong dormitory door, and while she felt a _little_ bad about it, she had been lucky that Pansy had not come knocking in an attempt to disturb her.

At least the other girl seemed to understand that she needed a bit of space to breathe.

Watching as the nameplate on the door she sought shifted at her approach, Kagome briefly wondered how Pansy would react if she ever found out the truth. It would probably be really _bad._ It was really for the best that Pansy stayed in the dark when it came to that little fact, which was why Kagome often pushed down her sense of guilt for constantly deceiving and avoiding her as much as possible.

Tapping her wand against the doorknob, the Higurashi girl watched as the door opened silently, welcoming her back into the room she had been assigned. She smiled a little as the faint glow of green light flickered into existence, before stepping into the room and allowing the door to shut behind her.

"You're late."

Kagome sighed, flickering her eyes toward the four poster bed where the voice had come from. A slight pout pulling at her lip, she said, "You try having someone constantly trying to charm the skirt off of you at every turn."

"If you just hexed him like I told you to, it wouldn't have become such a problem."

"I'm _not_ going to hex him just because he can't take a hint!" she grumbled. "Why don't _you_ hex him if you're so convinced it'll work?"

 _"Hn."_ Draco Malfoy slipped from behind the curtain surrounding the bed, pushing his blonde hair away from his face. The Slytherin Prince did not hesitate to cross the distance separating them, catching the Slytherin girl around the waist and pulling her into his chest. "What fun would it be if Zabini was aware of the reason why you refuse him so wholeheartedly, love?"

"Oh!" Kagome pushed away from him, smiling somewhat at his teasing. "You better not start calling me that just because you're _jealous_ that Blaise gets to do it publicly."

Draco sneered a little, saying, "If we weren't ' _sneaking around behind everyone's back,_ ' as you like to say, I would have already put Zabini in the hospital wing for calling you that, _love."_

"You and I both know that you wouldn't do that," Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

Her back met the door so quickly her head spun. The Slytherin Prince caged her easily, leaning his hands against the wood on either side of her, before nudging a knee firmly between her thighs. His face twisted into a smirk, watching her blink in confusion and surprise. "Don't tempt me, _Ka-go-me_."

"Tempt you to do _what?"_ she whispered, peeking at him from beneath her lashes innocently.

Draco groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "You'll be the death of me."

 _"Oh,_ is that why you don't want anyone else knowing about us?" she giggled. She knew the _real_ reason, of course, but she could not stop herself from teasing him a little bit. He was _totally_ the jealous type, no matter how much he tried to deny it. "That way nobody will know that the great Draco Malfoy was killed by a _girl?"_

He nipped at her throat, causing her to release a delightful little yelp, before saying, "I think we need to put that tongue of yours to better use."

 _"Mmm…"_ she squirmed a little. "I think that we shou—"

He silenced her immediately, his tongue seeking refuge inside the moist cavern of her mouth as he kissed her.


	79. Growl

**Gryffindor**

Sirius Black panted, trying his best to keep up with Remus Lupin as he prowled endlessly through the Forbidden Forest. The werewolf was restless tonight, wandering in circles, and Sirius still could not figure out what exactly Remus was looking for as he continuously scented the air. It almost seemed like he was _lost._

The werewolf lifted his head once more, sniffing, before a thick snarl ripped from his chest. The noise startled Sirius a bit, before he sighed, watching as Remus took off at a much faster trot. He _really_ should have convinced James into keeping up with Remus while _he_ sat on his ass patrolling the border of the Forbidden Forest.

Sirius paused after a moment, as the wind shifted in his direction. It smelt like… _blood._ It was metallic and tantalizing drifting through the night, and he shook his shaggy mane of fur to focus. He had smelled this scent before, he was sure of it, but it was the underlying notion that whatever carried the scent being hurt and attracting the forest's residential werewolf that picked up his pace.

Remus had a pretty good head start on him, but the werewolf stopped now and again to scent the air when the wind changed. Sirius caught up to him fairly easily, allowing his tongue to hang out of the side of his mouth in a very undignified way, and wondered if Remus really _was_ lost. Normally the werewolf would have already come across whatever had fallen within the forest, burying his massive head into flesh and bone, but it seemed as if Remus could not decide which way to go.

Putting his nose to the air, Sirius was baffled to find that the scent of blood had _vanished._ His dark eyes watching as Remus prowled back and forth between the trees nearby, he tilted his head in his confusion. How could the scent have just disappeared? Even if something else had come across it in the forest, it should have still lingered in the air for a few hours.

The werewolf shook himself, clearly frustrated.

Finally having a moment to catch his breath, Sirius wondered where he had recalled the scent in the first place. This was not his first run through the Forbidden Forest as a dog, and he was _almost_ certain that he could not remember such a smell from anywhere near… _well,_ wherever they were at this point. He had recognized it, though, from _somewhere._ Hogsmeade, maybe? No, somehow he knew that was wrong.

Now knowing what Remus was searching for, Sirius caught the faint smell on the air before the wind washed over the werewolf. He barked several times as he took off, barely catching the way Remus snapped his head down from scenting the air to stare after him. It would give him a few seconds at best. Remus had a much larger build, packed with massive lungs and long legs built for running endlessly with the pack, and it would not be too long before he caught onto the scent again despite his brief distraction.

The howl that Remus released behind him shook him to the core, but Sirius was determined to find whatever had been teasing the werewolf first. He could almost hear Remus breathing down his neck, caught in the frenzy of the chase, as he tried to dig his claws into the ground and go _just a bit faster_. The scent was thicker now, almost tangible, and he could hear Remus increase his gait to a near sprint behind him.

They were close, _so close_ —

Crashing through the bush and into the clearing, Sirius Black nearly tripped over his own paws when he caught sight of the tiny Gryffindor girl sitting in a pool of her own blood. A strange pink dome surrounded her, though it quickly flickered and faded, leaving him staring into dark blue eyes that now seemed empty and distant. Her wand lay on the ground next to where she was clutching her side, even though her blood seemed to have stopped attempting to permanently stain her robes red for the moment.

He identified her immediately as a fifth year student that he and James had once pranked inside the Gryffindor tower. She had some weird foreign name, having come all the way from Japan in order to study at Hogwarts. Ka...something. Kaguomay? Kagiamo?

Sirius quickly gave up trying to guess her name, a deep growl billowing from his lungs when he finally heard Remus crash through the foliage behind him. He twisted around, his lip pulled up to reveal his fangs, knowing that _this_ was not a meal he could allow Remus to have no matter the cost. His friend would _never_ forgive himself if he ever found out he had mauled another student.

He was almost surprised to find the werewolf somewhat standing on his back legs, one massive paw leaned up against a nearby tree. The werewolf's claws cut through the tree like it was paper, as he dropped back down onto all fours and released a bone chilling sound that clearly stated, " _This is my meal. Come near it and_ die."

Backing away from the werewolf warily, Sirius barked in order to gain his attention. Remus barely spared him a glance, his gaze fixated on the girl. The werewolf shouldered through the bush with ease, intent on claiming his prize, but Sirius was _not_ about to let him have any of that. He barked again and _again,_ finally lunging toward his friend and snapping at his paws in order to gain his attention.

The werewolf snarled, focusing on him, but refused to be moved.

Sirius lunged for him again, determined to get him to chase him, and found himself quite surprised when Remus slammed one massive paw against the side of his head. He yelped loudly, skidding through the grass and into the side of a tree. He tried to shake it off, but _damn_ that had hurt. A pathetic snarl escaped him, trying to get back onto his paws, as he watched the werewolf stalk toward the helpless Gryffindor.

 _God damn it_ , and he did not even know her name!

Remus was going to kill him if he could ever get over the guilt this was going to cause.

Sirius whined, knowing that he needed to do something _right now_. He needed to _get up._ He could only watch, though, as the werewolf ventured closer, clearly savoring the moment before the kill. He _tried, damn it!_ , he really did, but Remus must have hit him harder than he had originally thought because he was pretty sure that his front leg was broken.

The werewolf panted, thick vapor forming in the cold night air and hitting the girl in the face.

Then, the _girl_ growled at him.

Sirius widened his eyes, confusion piercing through the pain, as he watched the strange interaction. If he were human at the moment, he was pretty sure he would be doing a clever impersonation of a fish, because… the _girl_ had growled like a bloody animal, and then…

Remus huffed back at her.

Her empty eyes shifted toward the werewolf, watching him. They were no longer the dark blue that they should have been. They were red. As red as the blood that had gathered around her, tempting the werewolf to find her in the first place.

Sirius shivered, feeling the strange magic crackle in the air around him.

Her lip lifted, revealing one sharpened canine, as she released another snarl.

Remus shook himself in reply, lifting himself up onto his back paws. His head thrown back, the werewolf released a long, mournful cry to the moon hanging heavy in the sky above. He seemed almost satisfied in the call when he hit the ground once more, sending another puff of condensed air into the tiny Gryffindor's face.

The girl tilted her head away, exposing her neck.

Sirius felt like he almost _died_ in shock when Remus pressed his forehead into that spot.

The girl's hand lifted weakly, settling on the werewolf's neck, as she returned the strange embrace.

Sirius watched them, bewildered, as Remus shifted and settled his massive head in the girl's lap.

What in the _world_ was that girl?


	80. Expecto

**Child – Special edition chapter**

The wind whispered through the branches of the Goshinboku, as a silver haired man suddenly appeared on the edge of the shrine. There was a loud, audible _'pop'_ the moment he appeared, though the silence settled over the courtyard hid it well from anyone passing by. His half moon spectacles sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, his head tilted back, while he studied the enchanted tree that had signaled his arrival. There was no other tree like it, believed to have been planted a millennium ago, and he was delighted to have finally gotten the chance to see it for himself.

A faint girlish giggle pulled his attention toward the home located near the back of the shrine. A smile touched his face, listening to the dark haired child giggle endlessly. There was a distinctive bounce in her every step, her hands waving around in tight circles, as she danced around with a liquid silver cat following at her heel.

Albus Dumbledore lifted a single brow, not having noticed the cat a moment ago. He wondered briefly if the child's father had conjured the creature, but the only magic he could feel within the area was that of the Goshinboku. There was a bright radiance covering the shrine, masking any faint disturbance that might have rippled through the air.

The girl giggled again, her hands moving about excitedly, while she and the corporeal cat pranced about in small circles.

Albus moved away from the ancient tree, curious, as he searched the area for the girl's father. Higurashi Takahiro was a talented wizard, known for having successfully mixed together ancient magic spells found throughout Japan with modern twists to create new spells. It would not be any surprise if he could produce a corporeal Patronus. Though, his mouth tugging into an amused smile, he would _not_ have expected it to be a cat.

The girl did a pretty little turn on her heel, her hand waving in a tight little circle at her side, and suddenly _another_ liquid silver cat sprang forth to dance alongside her.

Albus felt his eyes widen, catching the faint silver glow trailing from the girl's fingertips. That _child_ had conjured the Patronus? Without the use of a wand to channel the incantation? She could not have been more than seven years old, at the least. The very thought alone would have made most wizards laugh.

A thousand questions sprang forth at once.

He needed to know _more._ This child could produce a _corporeal Patronus_ with a mere flick of her wrist. The powerful spell could not be performed by some of his best known colleagues! It required an extremely powerful memory that a child her age should not possess, let alone the fact that her magic had not yet fully developed by this stage either.

How powerful would this child be once she had grown?

The door to the little home opened then, the magic of the Goshinboku finally having beckoned forth the girl's father. He was handsome young man, barely going on thirty. He smiled when he caught sight of Albus, waving toward him, "Dumbledore-san!"

The girl was startled by the sudden shout, the liquid silver cats vanishing without a trace. Her head twisted around in his direction, her eyes going wide at the realization that she had not even noticed someone else had entered the property. "Daddy!"

Higurashi Takahiro chuckled at the sight of his daughter suddenly rushing to his side.

Albus coughed slightly, shaking his head, before walking toward the house. "Higurashi-san," he greeted back.

"I didn't expect you until late tomorrow," Takahiro said.

"The portkey was finished sooner than expected," Albus nodded.

Takahiro seemed to notice the way his eyes traveled to the girl hidden somewhat behind his leg. He chuckled slightly, patting her head, saying, "Go on then, Kagome, introduce yourself. This is Professor Albus Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards of our time."

The little girl poked her head out then. "...hi."

Takahiro merely shook his head. "I'm afraid she's a bit shy."

There was a twinkle in Albus' eye then, as he replied, "That's quite all right." Did Takahiro know that his daughter contained such a powerful source of magic? If he did, he did not seem apprehensive in the slightest about people knowing about it. Especially with the threat of his former student, Tom Riddle, creating an army of Death Eater followers within the European community.

"Won't you come in, Dumbledore-san? We can talk inside over a cup of tea, if you'd like."

"Yes, that would be lovely," Albus nodded. He turned his head only slightly before he entered the house, wondering if perhaps Takahiro was not worried about his child due to the radiance that the Goshinboku cast over the shrine. The enchanted tree was most likely masking the girl's own magic, protecting her in a way, and even he would never known about such a gift had he not seen the girl dancing with her Patronus.

She would need to be protected as she matured, and with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, Albus Dumbledore supposed that the safest place for anyone was Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	81. Moth

**Slytherin**

Darkness parted seamlessly, as the cloaked figure stepped quietly into the cavern. Brilliant blue eyes glinted in the fading sunlight, focusing entirely on the boy that had unknowingly sent the _call_ with rapt attention. The cloaked figure stalked forward silently, robes black as night barely fluttering with the movement, and paused only when the small snake within the boy's grasp gave a startled hiss.

" _Care, young speaker, for you are not alone._ "

A smile touched soft lips, as the smooth, feminine voice flowed forth, " _Fear not, serpent, for I come only to those who call._ "

The snake swayed in the boy's grasp, asking, " _A speaker?_ "

Tom Riddle turned on his heel with the serpent's question, watching as the woman revealed herself. The smile upon her pretty face was brilliant and kind, but Tom took a step back at the way her eyes slanted with mischief. There was something rotten hidden beneath her misleading smile, and the eleven year old did not like the way it rubbed up against the magic he now knew he had.

Giving a tiny laugh, she said, "Please don't let _it_ bother you. It's like that for everyone."

Tom frowned, noticing that she gestured to the small jewel dangling innocently around her neck. The bobble looked normal enough, girly even with how pink it was, but the boy was unable to control the shiver that raced through him when the surface swirled with an unnatural black for the briefest moment. "Who are _you?"_ he finally asked. "Did the Professor send you?"

Her eyes flashed at the suggestion, and she merely laughed lightly once more. "Oh, _no!"_ she replied. "I would _never_ have come to the call of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, dear. I am bound to the will of Slytherin, and despite his temptations, he is entirely too Gryffindor for my tastes."

The boy tilted his head, asking, "The will of Slytherin?"

 _"Ah,"_ she nodded. "Of course, you have not yet journeyed to Hogwarts, have you?" She waited for him to shake his head lightly in response, despite the fact that she had already answered the question herself. "That means that you are unaware of your birth right as the _heir_ of Slytherin."

Tom's eyes widened a bit, unsure of how to take this new bit of information. He was not entirely sure what Slytherin was yet, despite Professor Dumbledore's brief description of the school, but the way she spoke suggested that he was even _more_ special than he could ever imagine. "What do you mean?" he asked. "The Professor did not mention anything about that. The way he described it, Slytherin is just a house where students can be sorted and taught from. Are you saying that all the houses have… _heirs?"_

"Slytherin is more than _just a house_ , dear." Her smile never wavered, but there was a dark gleam that flashed through her eyes with the statement. The jewel around her neck swirled until it was pitch black, reflecting her brief moment of anger, but it quickly vanished when the jewel flared a brilliant pink once more. "Slytherin is in your _blood._ It will be your _family."_

The snake in Tom's grasp shrunk away from the woman, hissing.

"You are descended from the one who created the house of Slytherin, Salazar himself," she continued. "It is why you can speak to snakes."

The boy glanced down at the serpent he held, asking, "But, isn't that something all wizards can do?"

"No, dear, only those who are descended from greatness are capable of speaking Parseltongue," she replied. "You yourself are a Parselmouth, and despite whatever rubbish people might say, you should consider it a gift."

"Are you descended from Salazar Slytherin then?" Tom considered this notion for a moment. He could not see much more than her face, to be honest, but from what he could tell she appeared to be quite foreign. "You haven't even told me your name."

She laughed, "Forgive me. I have been quite rude, haven't I?" She performed the oddest little bow, the motion causing her cloak to finally tip from the top of her head and reveal her raven colored locks. "I am Kagome; Higurashi Kagome. I am _not_ descended from Salazar Slytherin, but I knew him long, long ago. This trinket is the reason why I am able to speak Parseltongue myself."

Tom blinked, as she tapped the jewel hanging around her neck. "How old are you?"

 _"Hm."_ Her eyes flashed mischievously. "I believe that's enough questions about myself for now, Thomas Marvolo Riddle."

Tensing, Tom pulled the snake he held closer to his body suddenly, as he asked, "How do you know my name?"

"I come only to those who call," she repeated, very slowly.

"I don't remember _calling_ you."

"Ah," she sighed. "Maybe not in here," she tapped the side of her head, "but you called me regardless, because you want something that I can give you, Tom." Her smile twisted a little, revealing perfectly white teeth.

Tom hesitated for a moment, before asking, "...and what is it you can give me?"

"I offer you the chance to be great beyond your wildest dreams, descendant of Salazar." Her hand stretched toward him then, beckoning him close with the temptation. "As I have promised, so it shall be for those who call."

" _Young speaker?_ " the snake hissed softly, coiled tight from the magic radiating around the cavern.

The eleven year old orphan was caught in a trance, unable to resist the sudden desire unlocked from within his heart. "Great beyond my wildest dreams…?" he whispered.

"No one will ever question you again, Tom Riddle," Kagome continued. "You are powerful already, and everyone will know it within time. They will all whisper your name. They will follow you, hoping to bask within your glory." Her eyes flashed maliciously in time with the jewel around her neck, her smile tight and knowing. "You will be one of the most known wizards of your age and generations to come."

"I…" Tom swallowed loudly, "I want…"

"Take my hand, Tom," she urged.

"Will you… take me away from here?" Tom asked. "I hate it here."

"In time," she breathed. "I promise you that, descendant of Salazar, if it is what you wish."

Tom took her hand without hesitation then.

Kagome smiled brightly back at him.

* * *

 **Note:** Corrupted long ago by the Shikon no Tama, Kagome is now bound to the Slytherin line and corrupts them, too. Yup, I went there.

_KibaSin_


	82. Fantastic

**Miko - Special Edition Chapter**

"Soshite, anata ga yatte iru dake de nani o omoimasu ka?"

Newton Scamander startled, turning on his heel rather abruptly. His eyes shifted nervously to the left when he realized that a rather young woman was standing just a few feet from where he stood. A muggle from the looks of her. "Oh, _uh,_ yes, hello there," he said, as he flicked his wand behind his back and cast a language charm.

Her dark blue eyes narrowed dangerously, no doubt suspicious as to why there was a British man sneaking around this particular shrine. Though, Newt supposed that she could be suspicious of why _anyone_ was wandering around such a small shrine during the night. Then again, _he_ could be equally suspicious as to why she was wandering around a shrine that had no resident priest living on the grounds.

"What is that you just did?" she asked.

Oh, _bother._ Had she noticed? He really did not want to _Obliviate_ the poor girl.

"I'm sorry, miss, I really don't know what you're talking about," he replied. He shifted his eyes nervously between the woman and the shrine, wondering how he was going to get her to leave without rising further suspicion. He might have to _Obliviate_ her regardless if he could not convince her to pray elsewhere.

She did not look convinced, but she seemed to be willing to let it go for now. "Are you here to pray, too, mister…?"

 _"Oh,_ yes," Newt nodded, noticing that she started frowning almost immediately at his lack of introduction. _"Uh."_ He quickly set his suitcase on the ground, performing an awkward little bow that he had come to learn from the local wizards. He slipped his wand back into his pocket as he did so, hoping that she would not notice. "I'm Newt, miss. Newt Scamander."

The woman twisted the umbrella she had leaning on her shoulder, as she considered his answer. It was a rather odd thing, Newt realized, for someone to be carrying around at night. Perhaps one of those festivals he had heard the local wizards talking about had been going on? It would certainly explain the elaborate kimono.

She bowed in return after a moment, saying, "My name is Kagome, Scamander-san. Higurashi Kagome." She smiled like the sun, her head tilting to one side when she straightened back to her full height. "I'm sorry, Scamander-san, but… is your case _growling?"_

Newt glanced down suddenly, just as the latch popped open. "Yes, _right,"_ he leaned down to pop the latch back into place, "I really must be getting that fixed soon."

"So, it does that _often?"_ It was odd that she did not seem the slightest bit shocked by the notion.

 _"Quite."_ He really needed the woman to leave. "It's a stubborn thing."

She stepped closer to him, continuing to twirl the umbrella she had. "It sounded like an animal of some kind." She smiled just a bit brighter when Newt glanced up at her, before adding, "That would be silly, though, wouldn't it? You couldn't possibly keep an animal of that size in that tiny little case."

Newt laughed nervously, nodding. _"Uh,_ yes, it is rather silly to think about."

"Why are you _really_ here, Scamander-san?"

The question came so suddenly, Newt looked away from her, pulling on the collar of his jacket to make certain the Bowtruckle hiding there had not been exposed. It wouldn't do any good for Pickett to be sticking his head out when there was a muggle nearby asking questions she _really_ did not need the answers to. "I could ask you the same thing, miss."

Her smile softened, as she said, "This is my shrine, Scamander-san. I am the resident priestess here."

Flicking his eyes back in her direction in disbelief, Newt swallowed. It seemed he was going to have to _Obliviate_ her after all, and probably add a false memory charm to make certain that she chose to leave to boot. "I thought this shrine did not have a priestess on site," he explained.

"I check up on it from time to time."

He began to slowly twist his wand between his fingers in his pocket, trying to look anywhere but at her. She seemed like a nice woman. It was really a shame that he was going to have to forcibly remove her, but he could not risk her getting hurt when he finally opened the tiny shrine. "I see."

"Scamander-san?"

She had no time to react, as Newt suddenly pulled his wand from his pocket and muttered, _"Obliviate!"_ The false memory he had decided upon was already on the tip of his tongue when she waved her glowing pink hand in the air, deflecting the _Obliviate_ spell entirely. Newt faltered then, the incantation dying just as it began, watching as the spell came shooting back at him.

He admired it for only a moment, noting that the spell itself had changed to that incandescent pink, before he dove for the ground instinctively. There was the sound of an explosion as it struck the shrine behind him, and Newt felt his entire world come to a screeching halt. How was he going to…? Was it hurt? There were too many questions as his ears continued to ring.

Higurashi Kagome stepped close to him then, brushing his shoulder as he rose in what seemed like slow motion. Newt felt like his heart was going to break out of his chest. It took him a moment to even realize that if the creature hidden within the shrine had been set loose, the _mugg_ —whatever the woman was!—could be seriously injured.

 _"Shhhh,_ now. _Shh."_

Newt looked up in shock at the sound of her soothing voice. His mouth nearly fell open when he realized that the Occamy was completely transfixed by the softly glowing umbrella twisting before its eyes. It had grown considerably in an attempt to fill the entire shrine, but it appeared to have halted the process for the moment. _"H-how?"_ he stammered.

Kagome looked down at him then, saying, "Can you fix the shrine? Ena is a bit upset that I accidentally destroyed it knocking back whatever it was that you tried to hit me with when her eggs were in there. I'm afraid if I don't manage to hold her attention for much longer, she'll try to kill us both."

He nodded dumbly. This woman had some kind of strange magic, but she didn't know what magic was? How was that possible? She clearly was not an Obscurial, with how easily she had handled whatever magic she did possess. Was it magic only native to this country? He was certain he had heard stories somewhere that there had once been what the locals called Yokai, and—

 _"Now_ would be nice, Scamander-san."

The Occamy flicked its eyes in his direction, just as he flicked his wand to perform the mending charm.

 _"Eh, eh!"_ Kagome waved the umbrella then. "Look at me, Ena. Only me." The Occamy returned its gaze to the strange woman. "That's it. Good girl."

It took only a moment for the tiny shrine to rebuild itself between the Occamy's brilliantly colored coils. The doors remained open, revealing the nest with four silver eggs nestled inside. Newt felt the world come back into focus, as the beautiful creature released a cry and twisted itself so it could return to its eggs. The Occamy shrank quite suddenly, shooting into the shrine, and suddenly the doors snapped shut to hide them from the world once again.

The umbrella was suddenly in his face then, as Kagome glared at him. "Just tell me, are you here to try and steal Ena's eggs for the silver?"

 _"No!"_ Newt gasped. She had his complete attention now. "What _are_ you? You look entirely human. I would have guessed that you were a muggle, in fact I was fairly certain of it, but you're definitely not a witch. Are you a registered Being? How do you not know about the magical community in this region? Or did you just not recognize me as a wizard myself?"

Kagome blinked. "I told you, Scamander-san, I am a priestess. Could you slow down a little, though? I'm afraid you're asking too many questions at once."

"How did you come to know about the Occamy?" Newt asked, stepping closer to her and causing her to lower the umbrella entirely.

"Do you mean Ena?"

"Yes," Newt nodded. "Ena is an Occamy. They are usually extremely aggressive whenever they have a clutch of eggs, and they're known for attempting to bite almost immediately out of the egg. They are considered very dangerous."

"Ena isn't dangerous," she frowned. "She does like to nip, but she's usually rather harmless. I only put her here so she could protect her eggs in a quiet space that no one would disturb. Nobody usually comes here."

"Until me," he added for her.

"Now will you tell me why you're here?" Kagome asked. "I believe you when you say that you're not here to steal Ena's eggs."

"I had heard rumors from some of the local wizards that there may be an Occamy in this area, though it had seemed to disappear from the radar some time ago. I've been tracking her for weeks, trying to find a path leading back to wherever she was housing herself." Newt picked up his case then, noting that the latch had come undone again. "I wanted to protect her."

"You… wanted to protect her?" Kagome smiled softly at his sincerity.

"Yes, you see, this case here is where I keep all the magical creatures that I feel need to be protected. I have the last breeding pair of Graphorn on the planet in here, as well as a Nundu that I've been attempting to study for quite some time. They are both considered highly dangerous, but thus far my observations have found that they would much rather live peacefully away from wizards and muggles." Newt popped open the other latch. "Do you want to see?"

"You have them… in there?" She did not look completely convinced. "Do they change size like Ena?"

"No," Newt smiled a bit. "It's enchanted to be much bigger on the inside."

"And it's safe?"

"As safe as it possibly can be."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt," Kagome finally gave in. She smiled at the way he put the case down so enthusiastically, popping open the lid. She tried taking a peek over the side, but it just looked like a dark hole from where she was standing.

Newt put one leg into the case, before glancing up, "What did you say you were again, Miss… Kagome, was it?"

"A priestess, Scamander-san."

"Fascinating," Newt replied, dropping down into the hole. "Watch your step as you come down!"

Kagome shook her head then, wondering what exactly she had managed to stumble her way into this time. She looked toward the tiny shrine she had taken residency of, smiling, and wondered if Newt Scamander would believe her if she told him that she had been sucked through time and was now living those five hundred years all over again for a chance to see her family once more. That she had fought alongside demons and half-demons, and whatever he had inside that case was probably not going to surprise her one bit.

Magic was not new to her, after all.


End file.
